Spirits Cry
by SorainaSkye
Summary: Practically raised alone in the South Pole, self-worth shattered by the White Lotus, young Avatar Korra finds herself surrounded by people in Republic City. Unrest is brewing, she can't contact her past lives, and everyone she loves is in danger. Can she discover what it really means to be the Avatar? Can she even survive? Season One re-write. Eventual Bolin/Korra, Mako/Asami.
1. The White Lotus

Hi all. Well, the first season of The Legend of Korra has come to pass, and it left much to be desired in my opinion. Not only to I loathe the Korra/Mako pairing, but the character development was skewed horribly. My solution? Do a fanfiction re-write of course! It will mostly follow the same storyline as in the show, but there will be several changes as well, mostly in terms of some darker aspects. I hope that fans of the show, and those who haven't seen it yet, will enjoy this story. I have several chapters outlined and hope to have the next one up soon.

Keep in mind that this will enventually be Korra/Bolin and Mako/Asami in terms of couples.

Also, a lot of my ideas were refined by The Borra Rationalization by battybravery on tumblr. Look it up!

Betaed by: TaloTaFoReVeR523. Many thanks to him!

Disclaimer: As you can guess, if I did own the series, this is what it would have been like.

* * *

Spirits Cry

Chapter One

The White Lotus

Korra was born in the middle of a storm.

Later, Senna and Tonraq would think it was rather fitting, but at the time they hadn't thought much about it. She didn't just cry when she was born: she screamed, and Senna was half sure the rest of the tribe would hear her even over the storm.

Tonraq liked to proudly proclaim that Korra was _born_ kicking ass, and it was true. Her legs kicked out and somehow managed to hit Master Katara in the eye when she leaned too close. The story was retold so many times that Senna knew Korra would be able to recite the tale in her sleep.

Senna knew that all parents thought their children to be special, and she was no exception. Korra was loud, stubborn, and wonderful. Her irrepressible energy threatened to even tire out her father- not that Tonraq would ever admit to it, and if he did, it would only be with pride that his little girl was so strong. She was always the leader; in games with children, when helping Senna or Tonraq, with everything. Before an idea is even fully suggested, there Korra would be, toddling around on her little legs, determined to do it first.

By the time Korra was three, she'd figured out how to bend fire.

She was sitting on the rug, playing with her toys, when a strong wind came through and blew out all the lanterns. With a huff, she'd stood, and before Senna could even make a move to light them, fire had danced in front of her eyes, and the lanterns were lit again; along with the curtains. Senna had thrown water on it without thought a moment later, and looked down at Korra in amazement. Korra was grinning, unrepentant, delighted at her new skills.

The fact that fire was the first element Korra would bend would make sense in retrospect, but at the time Senna and Tonraq were nothing short of bewildered. Senna knew her family history, and there were no firebenders. Tonraq was a little less certain of his family, and they eventually agreed that it must have come from his side. There was a minor thought – _what if?_ – but it was eventually dissuaded. Korra hadn't shown signs of any other bending, so clearly she was just a very odd case of a water tribe girl that could bend fire.

It came so naturally to her, and after a little while her parents adjusted. Among several jokes from Tonraq _("always said you were hot-headed, Kor!")_ she seemed to teach herself fairly well; nothing too big or grandiose, and once she was old enough Senna promised to find her a proper teacher. They lost several curtains over the next two years, but Korra really _was_ sorry, and tried to make her fireballs smaller.

A little before Korra turned five, she bent water. Playing with the kids in the snow, Korra discovered that when she moved her hands, she could also _move_ the snow, and was able to splatter one of her opponents full in the face without ever making a snowball.

Now their moment of wondering was confirmed. Korra, their little girl, was the Avatar.

In the time it took to notify the White Lotus, Korra had also demonstrated earthbending. When she was too short to reach a treat, she bent the earth beneath her feet so that she could get too it. Tonraq came back in to find a pedestal in the kitchen, his five-year-old daughter sitting on it, happily eating cookies.

To Korra, it was no life-changing event to learn she was the Avatar.

"What's that mean?" She'd asked. "What's the Avatar?"

"Well, sweetie," Senna had begun. "It means that you can bend all four elements."

Korra had grinned. "I already knew that. I could always feel 'em." Then she had gone right on to playing with her toys.

Tonraq had burst out laughing. "Told you," he said proudly, kissing Senna quickly and then mussing Korra's hair. "She was born kicking ass!"

The reply from the White Lotus came, with a sort of haughty disbelief. How could a young couple have so easily discovered what they had been searching for, after all?

Senna didn't know it then, but the day the White Lotus came to meet Korra was the best, and the worst, day of her life.

Moments after the three old men came through her door, Korra jumped into the room, proudly proclaiming that she was The Avatar- and that they had to deal with it.

Tonraq burst out laughing, and Senna joined in, watching as the three men stared slack-jawed at their five year old. Then their expressions changed, into something she couldn't quite name. For a moment, she stared at them as they circled her little girl, and she had to fight the urge to step between them, and take Korra far away.

There are days where Senna wonders if she would have succeeded.

The moment passed, and the White Lotus declared that they had found the Avatar, and that they were "going to take it from here".

Under the law passed in Republic City, The Avatar now had to follow certain protocol when trained, for their own protection. Senna, Tonraq and Korra were moved outside of the village to a compound, that in record time was full of obstacle courses, firebending training courts, and more. Master Katara moved with them, so that she could begin teaching Korra the basics of waterbending.

Before they all left, Master Katara's son Tenzin, stopped by for a brief visit. One day he would be her airbending teacher, but for now he was a councilman in Republic City, and was needed there. He talked with Korra for a little while, and was gone the next day. After only knowing him for a few hours, Senna liked him more than any of the White Lotus. He was serious, but kind, and patient, which she knew would be needed for teaching Korra.

Moving was difficult, but Senna wanted to keep Korra safe. The world was largely peaceful now, but that didn't mean that there wouldn't still be people that would want to hurt her. The very idea woke Senna in the night, clutching at her husband. His hands would find hers; shaking, and she knew that he was afraid too.

Korra took it all with a wide-eyed excitement. To her, everything was new and therefore wonderful.

After they had been staying at the compound for a few weeks, Senna knew that her initial impression of the White Lotus teachers hadn't been far off. She didn't like them, and she knew Tonraq didn't either. Master Katara, Senna knew, was a kind and wise woman, and would be an excellent teacher. The other teachers however…

The first real glimpse of this came a month and a half after living on the compound. Everything, from a guard tower, to actual trained guards, were now in place, and the White Lotus insisted on getting started on Korra's basic training.

"She's only five years old!" Senna protested. "Shouldn't we wait a few years?"

The White Lotus all seemed to shake their heads as one, giving her a look that seemed to quite plainly say they considered her to rank lower than the snow beneath their boots. "The Avatar is an important figure to the entire world. Before, The Avatar was not told until they were sixteen who they were. However, under the new law imposed by Avatar Aang, each incarnation is to be told of their destiny as soon as possible."

"The _idea_," Master Katara interjected, ignoring the glances from the members of the White Lotus, "Is that they would grow up with the knowledge, and grow naturally with their talents. It won't come on so suddenly, and they will hopefully be more adjusted to life as the Avatar by the time they are fully grown." She stopped, and smiled sadly, looking down the hall at where Korra was sleeping. "I know how difficult it was for Aang, having it all thrust upon you at once when he was older. Now we will be able to help Korra learn about her abilities so that she doesn't feel the way he did."

Master Katara always referred to Korra by name. The members of the White Lotus almost always called her "The Avatar".

"We won't get into any intense training yet," Master Katara went on. "It will mostly be the basics. Make sure she doesn't flood anything, or set anymore curtains on fire." She smiled, and Senna calmed a little, feeling Tonraq's hand relax in her own.

He hesitated, looking again at the White Lotus, all of whom seemed to literally have their noses in the air. He scowled, and waved a finger at them. "Don't you train her too, hard, you hear?"

"As Master Katara said," the man at the front stood straighter, "We will only be covering the basics. For now."

And so it began. Though Tonraq and Senna loved to watch Korra practice when they could, often they were busy with their own house, hunting, and more. Still, they were usually able to sit down and watch at least one of her practice sessions a day. The best ones to watch were the waterbending lessons; Korra laughed and smiled, and always waved at them.

The other sessions were different.

They had missed the first few. By the time they were able to sit down and watch, Korra had already had several lessons with the White Lotus. The leader, Yrak, always observed the sessions, even when they had nothing to do with the element he was familiar with.

Senna walked over to the earthbending court, watching with a smile on her face as Korra moved a few pebbles on the ground in a circle, her brows furrowed in concentration. One of the pebbles was slighter higher than the other, but the circle was almost perfectly round otherwise.

"No, no, no!" The earthbending teacher, Pon, rapped his heel on the ground. Korra looked at him furiously, the pebbles moving farther away from each other as her concentration was broken.

He put his foot on the pebble that was just a little higher than the others. "This one is not in line with the others!"

"Its just one!" Korra protested crossly, huffing and stepping back.

Yrak walked toward them purposefully. "And where do you think Avatar Aang would have been if he had thought that way?"

Senna's brows furrowed as Korra's shoulders slumped. She mumbled something Senna couldn't hear.

"That's right. He would have failed. He had to learn all of the elements in the course of a few months; you have years ahead of you. You are the Avatar. Get it right."

Senna stared at them, a little unbelieving. "Hold on," she called, quickly jogging over. "There's no reason to speak to her like that," she added as she stopped in front of them, catching her breath. Korra wouldn't look at her, and Senna's throat tightened at the sight.

"She's just learning," she went on after a moment.

"Ma'am," Yrak said, his voice full of self-importance, "The Avatar's training is a matter that does not concern you."

"Doesn't?! She's my daughter, of course it concerns me!" She spotted Tonraq walking up toward them, running when he noticed the look on her face.

"What's going on here?" Tonraq demanded, sliding next to them, looking from one face to the other.

"Sir," Yrak turned to him, the tone of his voice making Tonraq stiffen. "As I was telling your wife, because we are to train and protect the Avatar under the law, our sessions with her are non of your concern."

"The hell it isn't! Korra's our daughter, we can do what we-"

"As you said, sir, she is your daughter. And everything we do is to make her stronger, so that she can protect herself and protect the world. If we don't teach her the way that we see fit, someone could come along and hurt her." The words he was saying made sense, but Senna still didn't like the way he was saying them, even though she couldn't quite figure out why.

"You may not enjoy our methods," he went on, "but it is what is necessary for the Avatar, and the world."

Again that night Senna and Tonraq talked to each other, trying to decide what to do. It wasn't as if the teachers were hitting Korra, and they both knew how headstrong she could be. Some people needed a different form of teaching, and maybe this one truly would help Korra.

"I don't like them."

"Neither do I. Senna…I don't like them, but if they can truly help keep Korra safe…maybe, for now, we have to let them…"

"Maybe. They aren't yelling at her all the time or anything." Senna sighed in his arms, her heart feeling heavy. "I know that some teachers in the past were tough, because they needed to be. Korra doesn't always listen very well, even to us."

"I know." Tonraq kissed the top of her head. "I hate it. She's our little girl. But the thought of her in danger, it's just-" his arms tightened around her, and she nodded into his chest. "We have to do everything we can to make sure she'll be okay," he added.

"Yes. But…if this gets worse-"

"-we'll _make_ the White Lotus listen," he finished for her, and she couldn't help but smile.

And so the days passed on. Yrak stopped by to tell them that he thought it will be best if they only watched the sessions from a distance, so as to "not distract the Avatar from her training."

Reluctantly, Senna and Tonraq agreed.

Subtly, they began to notice a change in their daughter. She still chattered when she came home to dinner, still woke up excited, but there was something different still. Something had changed, and not in a good way. Over the months they would sometimes find Korra up late at night practicing moves, even just the basic ones. There was a thirst in her to move forward, to do more difficult techniques. Any problems or mistakes made her furious, the beginnings of tears filling her eyes.

She's not sure who told the story of Avatar Aang originally, though she suspects it was the White Lotus guards. She knew they didn't mean anything by it, but every time someone mentions the story, or the previous Avatar, Korra would stiffen.

All of it went beyond wanting to lead, or do well. It went beyond training hard. She was still confident, shouting to anyone that would hear that she was the Avatar, that she would win, but still, it was different, and Senna couldn't quite explain how.

When asked about how she was doing, Korra always said she was "fine" or "good", and no matter how much they both asked, wouldn't tell her parents anything otherwise.

Korra turned six a few months later, and that same night, Senna heard her crying in her room. Tonraq was already in there trying to soothe her.

"Kor-Korra, sweetheart, what's wrong?"

Senna went in without a word, crouching beside her daughter's bed. Her face was buried in the pillow, her heaving sobs still ringing in their ears. Her words were almost unintelligible.

"Korra?" Senna asked gently, touching her shoulder.

Korra sat up quickly, her eyes red, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I can't get this stupid firebending move right!"

Senna felt relieved for a moment, and then confused. "Korra, I know that can be frustrating sweetheart, but-"

"No!" Korra's palm slapped her bed, hard. "No, you don't _understand_! I'm the _Avatar_!" Her voice broke for a moment. "I'm the Avatar. I have to get it right."

This echo of what Yrak had said to her so many months ago was the last straw.

"Korra, Korra you listen to me." Tonraq grasped his daughter by the shoulders. "That's not what it means at all. It's okay to mess up. Everyone does-"

"But I'm the Avatar!" She said again, her voice impossibly small. "I'm special…"

She fell into her father's arms, burying her face in his chest, sobbing. Tonraq looked over her head at Senna, his face set. She nodded. No more of this. The White Lotus was not going to do this to their daughter any longer.

As with most things, it was easier said, than done.

They confronted the White Lotus the moment Korra was asleep, and were told quite coldly by Yrak that any intervention in the Avatar's training on their part was against the law.

"You know," he said, smiling condescendingly, "We do not have to allow you to live with Korra. If we wanted to say that you were a danger to the Avatar, and a disruption, you would be arrested. Or we could advise that it's better for the Avatar to be trained away from you. And you wouldn't be allowed to see her for a very long time."

"You can't do that, you-" Tonraq hissed, raising his fists.

"I'm afraid you'll find that we can, sir." Yrack raised his eyebrows at Tonraq's fist. "I wouldn't do that if I were-"

Two very strong blasts of water hit him square in the face at the same time, sending him flying backwards. His head knocked back against a pole, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Tonraq lowered his hands, and they both whirled around to see where the second water blast had come from.

Master Katara stood there, her eyes narrowed. Senna and Tonraq took only a moment to register this.

"He won't be happy when he wakes up," Master Katara warned.

"Then let's get out of here before he does," Tonraq sprinted back toward their hut, Senna following behind, and Katara a ways behind her.

"We are getting out of here," he said quickly the moment she was inside the door. She could hear Katara huffing behind her, and let the poor woman pass her by to rest for a moment.

"Yes," Senna said, and her husband glanced at her, frantic and worried and determined. "We are getting out of here. I'll get some of Korra's things together. Pack food, clothes, anything we can carry that won't slow us down too much."

He nodded, and she stopped for a moment in front of the old woman. "Master Katara, would you come with us?"

She smiled a little. "Please, just call me Katara. And no. I'll stay behind and send a letter to my son in Republic City. Once he's aware of the situation, he can help us. Now hurry."

Senna nodded, and without another word, ran into Korra's room. She could faintly hear Katara telling Tonraq about a place she thought they could slip through unnoticed. It took only a few minutes to get everything ready, and they were out the door, Korra still asleep and nestled amongst many blankets against Senna's chest.

_It's a good thing she's such a deep sleeper,_ Senna thought, tucking her daughter's hair carefully into the wrap of blankets.

The night was quiet. There was no sign that the other members of the White Lotus were awake, and the guards on top of the walls were still. The snow crunching beneath their boots seemed like it was too loud. Every moment, Senna was half sure the guards would come charging after them.

They slipped past the obstacle courses, the firebending court, and tried to mostly keep against the wall. It was so flat in there that if the guards decided to look their way they'd be spotted almost instantly.

"Katara said that there's a weak spot in the wall toward the back," Tonraq whispered. "She said if I can waterbend carefully, we should be able to soften it, and crawl through."

Senna nodded. "Alright." They hadn't had time to discuss where they would go from there, but she supposed it didn't matter at the moment.

They slowly made their way toward the back of the encampment. "I think it's just ahead," Tonraq said quietly, when a shout broke the utter silence.

Lights flared, and thumps sounded all around them as the guards slid down the walls toward them. Senna could hear the sound of the White Lotus leaders yelling, everything blurring around her as Tonraq tried to fight them off and screamed at her to run.

Her feet were stuck in the snow as she clutched Korra to her breast, her daughter just now waking and demanding to know what was going on.

The lights were so bright in her eyes, and Senna called for Tonraq but didn't hear him respond. Desperately she tried to twist around and look at him while Korra started crying, and the wind whistled in her ears as the lights dimmed.

They were surrounded.

Yrak stood at the front, glaring at them. There was a red spot on his head. The other members of the White Lotus were behind him. "_I told you,"_ he hissed furiously. "I told you what would happen if you broke the law."

In the end, Korra is not taken from them. Senna doesn't know what spirits to thank for that.

Instead, rightfully believing them to be under his thumb now, Yrak orders that their letters be checked before they are sent out. Tonraq is no longer allowed to go hunting, and instead someone from the tribe delivers meat to them on a weekly basis. Senna and Tonraq never see who it is.

Korra, beyond confused by the events of that night, was not told the full details of what happened. Senna and Tonraq knew that she would not completely understand, but vowed to tell her when she is older.

Katara, thankfully, was not punished. Yrak, not realizing that there had been two waterbenders to hit him in the face that night, still sought her wisdom, though he has a clear distaste for her familiarity with "the Avatar's parents".

All they can do is try and give Korra a place to come home to. A place where she is wanted, simply for being herself. They do what they can, but Senna has a feeling that it didn't help much. Korra was still being told on a daily basis that she was the Avatar; special, deserving of praise for merely existing, but also flawed, something that needed to be fixed, because she was not like the Avatar they had all read about.

The years passed.

Korra continued to get stronger, faster, and yet…

There is still that _change_ to her every action. It was a change that Korra didn't recognize or understand, but one that hurt her every day.

When a small polar bear dog pup is found just beyond the walls by the White Lotus, Tonraq took it back home with the plan of nursing it to health and releasing it in the wild.

Korra had other ideas. Ignoring all warnings of how vicious polar bear dogs could be, she eventually convinced her parents to let her keep it, because at least this way she would have _some_ company. And so, at the age of fourteen, Korra raised, tamed, and trained, a polar bear dog. She was the first person to ever do so.

Naga turned out to be a wonderful pet and companion for their daughter, and Senna was grateful every day that Naga made Korra smile. But there was still a darker aspect to it all.

Korra tamed a polar bear dog when no one else had. But more importantly, Avatar Aang hadn't either. Senna had a feeling that on some level, Korra saw it as the only thing she had done to ever "one-up" her predecessor, and Senna cursed the White Lotus all the more for what they had done to Korra over the years.

Still, there was brightness in their lives. Korra grew to look like a perfect combination of Senna and Tonraq; Senna's blue eyes and pointed chin, Tonraq's nose and brown hair. She grew to be taller than her mother, but still shorter than her father. She was beautiful, from the inside and out. She grew to be stubborn, generally kind, with a desire to help others, a little selfish, impatient, and easily frustrated, but witty and determined, and with a smile that could light up a room.

Not too long after Korra turned seventeen, she finished her firebending training. Tenzin, the son of the previous Avatar and the only person who could teach her airbending, would soon be flying down to stay with them. He had occasionally sent letters over the years, and Senna knew he was a different sort than the White Lotus. She hoped he would help Korra. He had to.

(~-~-~-~-~-~-~)

The sky was clear.

Korra rocked back and forth on her heels, Katara at her side, searching that clear sky for any sign of a sky bison. She'd seen pictures of them in the books Master Katara and the others had her read, but she hadn't seen a real one in a long time. She fought to keep herself from jumping up and down. Finally! Finally she would be able to learn airbending, and then she would know all the elements, then she would be a true Avatar.

She would be able to _leave_.

She spotted a moving shape in the distance, and actually gasped aloud as the sky bison – Oogi, Katara said his name was –landed in front of them with a thump. It looked at her with dark eyes, kind of like Naga's, shaking its head a little to clear its thick fur coat of snow.

A high-pitched voice could be heard from the creature's back. "-we're there aren't we? Oh daddy, _please_ tell me we're there!"

"Yes, Ikki," The middle aged man sitting on top of the bison said tiredly. "As I've been telling you for the past fifteen minutes, we are _finally_ here."

"Yippeeeee!" A small orange and yellow clad girl leapt off the back of the bison, followed by another, older girl. They easily and gracefully moved the air around them to a soft landing.

The middle-aged man, Tenzin, Korra knew, slid off Oogi's side, a little boy sitting on his shoulders and pulling at his ears. "Hello mother," he sighed, walked toward Katara. "Please," he said in a lower voice. "Help me."

Katara laughed as Tenzin bent over, and she pulled the young boy from his father's shoulders.

"Ahh! Unhand me, strange woman!" The boy yelled, wiggling in her grip.

"That's your grandmother, Meelo," Tenzin said, seeming a little more awake now that his son was no longer trying to pull his ears off.

Ignoring this, Meelo, like his sisters, easily bent air and flipped over Katara, landing on her other side and running toward his sisters to play in the snow.

Katara shook off her surprise and turned toward her son. "Its so good to see all of you."

Tenzin nodded, but was distracted by the woman climbing down the Bison with some difficulty; her belly rounded by pregnancy.

"Pema!" He was at her side in an instant, saying tenderly, "Let me help you."

She swatted his hand away. "I'm not infirmed, I'm just pregnant! Stop being so overprotective!"

The older girl ran up to Katara, asking her something about someone's mother, but Korra didn't hear her, watching Tenzin, her insides feeling tight.

Finally he turned his eyes toward her, and her insides relaxed. Like his children, he was wearing orange and yellow, styled rather like ancient robes. He was bald, with a tattoo of a blue arrow on his head. He also had a long, pointed, brown beard. He smiled warmly. "Korra?" His wife, Pema, looked over at her and smiled as well. She was rather pretty, with brown eyes, and brown hair pulled back into a bun. She was wearing the same colors as the rest of her family, although hers was fitted as a maternity dress.

Korra jogged over to him, her hands twisting behind her back. This was Avatar Aang's son. He looked her over, and she wondered if he was searching for some sign of his father in her face, impossible as it might have been.

People always did that, though. Surely some part of her had to be like Avatar Aang; some early kind of proof that she would be just as amazing as he was.

"Its so good to see you again," He went on, putting his hands on her shoulders. Her memories of his one visit were faint, but she rather thought he looked like how she remembered.

"You too," Korra grinned. "I am so glad you're here Master Tenzin! I can't wait to start my airbending training!"

At this, Tenzin hesitated. "Yes. Well…"

His wife shot him a glance. "You're going to have to tell her sometime, you know."

The tightness began to return to her stomach. "Tell me what?"

He hesitated again. "I'd rather tell you when we're with the White Lotus. They wanted to meet with me straight off anyway."

Katara was looking at him sadly. "You…" She stopped for a moment, and then went on. "You're not staying, are you?"

Tenzin glanced at her, and then shook his head. "I'm afraid not." He ran a hand over his head, and looked at his wife again before turning his eyes toward Korra.

"What?" She asked, shock at war with her devastation, "_Why_?"

He shuffled uncomfortably. "I really would rather talk this over with the White Lotus at the same time I tell you. Come on." He walked in the direction of the White Lotus's tents, Korra trailing after him, her heart thudding in her chest.

_What if- what if he knows? What if he can tell?_ Her hands twisted anxiously as she jogged after him, praying that it wasn't true. Tenzin was her only option to teach her airbending. Her only hope.

(~-~-~-~-~-~-~)

Korra stood in the doorway, the darkness framing her body.

"Korra?" Senna walked out from the kitchen, Tonraq standing from his place by the fire, a half carved something on the floor. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Korra stepped farther into the tent. She wasn't crying, but standing there, she looked so...defeated. As if she had lost everything. "Tenzin didn't come to town to teach me," she said, and her voice cracked. "He just came to say that he couldn't. He's going back to Republic City tomorrow." She took a deep breath, like she wanted to say more, bright blue eyes shining, and then she turned and ran back out the doorway.

"Korra!" They both ran after her, catching sight of her retreating shape in the dark, headed toward the stables, and Naga's comfort.

Senna stopped, and grabbed her husband's arm as he was about to keep chasing after her. Senna felt like her voice wouldn't work. She cleared her throat, and tried to speak. "He won't be staying here. Won't be teaching her."

Tonraq's shoulders slumped, and he turned back toward her. "I know."

Her hand clenched on his arm, and this time when she spoke, her voice was strong. "We can't let that happen. If he isn't going to stay here, then he's going to take her with him."

He was startled for a moment, and then he smiled sadly, smoothing back her hair and kissing her forehead. "That's my girl," he said fondly, and she leaned into his strong arms- her own comfort, resting her head at his heart. They didn't hold the embrace for long, and soon they were rushing toward Katara's hut, where Tenzin was staying. They had nothing to fear from the White Lotus; surely they wanted Tenzin to teach Korra as well?

The moment that they arrived, Katara stepped out, looking slightly surprise. Her expression molded into understanding. "Good luck," she said quietly. "Where is Korra?"

"The stables, with Naga."

The old woman nodded slowly. "I'll leave her to that, I think." She glanced back in toward her hut, and then walked around them. She stopped behind them. "Tenzin is just as stubborn as Korra in some ways. But I think he will come around." She continued walking a little, leaving them in turn to argue with her son.

Senna and Tonraq burst into the hut, ignoring the startled glances that Tenzin and his wife shot at them. There was no sign of their children; they were probably in the small back room that Katara had wanted in case the family came to visit.

"What-" Tenzin began, but Senna cut across him. "You have to teach Korra airbending!"

He blinked, and for a moment looked frustrated. "I can't right now. Republic City needs me too much, things are very restless there right now-"

"Then take Korra with you!" Tonraq stepped forward.

Tenzin drew back a little. His wife was watching them with concern. "I can't do that, I'm sorry," he went on, clearly trying to calm them down. "Its too dangerous for-"

"_Please_, you have to!" Senna clasped her hands together imploringly.

"I can't do that!" he repeated, this time truly irritated. "Republic City isn't a safe place for Korra right now-"

"She can't stay here any longer!" Tonraq moved closer still, seeming to restrain himself from shouting, his hand clutching at his wife's. "She is a prisoner here. Because of the law that is supposed to protect the Avatar- the trainers from the White Lotus have gone too far! We're not allowed to _leave_!"

Tenzin frowned, and glanced at his wife, then back at them. "What do you mean, you're not allowed to leave?"

Senna wiped at her eyes. "I- I know the law was written with good intentions- everyone's heard of how good a man your father was- but those men from the White Lotus have twisted it! We're all prisoners here. Korra hasn't seen or interacted with anyone her age since she was five. Her trainers, her guards, and us- we're the only people and things that she knows. They don't- they don't think of her as a person! She's just the _Avatar_ to them and because of that- that _damnable_ law they're keeping her here, and its only hurting her!"

"They won't let us leave," Tonraq added. "We tried- once we realized what this was doing, we tried to run, to find some way- your mother tried to help us- but under the law, we are disrupting the training of the Avatar, and they will use their guards to stop us if we break that law."

Tenzin's mouth hung open. "They- they can't do this! This is not what my father wanted to happen-!"

"It's the law, right now." Tonraq said, his face set in stone. "And you know how long it can take for laws to change."

Tenzin looked at the ground, his hands fisting. "I cannot- I cannot believe that they have perverted the law this way," He spoke quietly. "The moment I get back to Republic City, I will deal with this, I promise you."

"And Korra?"

Pema took her husband's hand. He was still frowning. "I want to help- but Republic City is full of unrest right now. I would fear for Korra's life if she were to go."

Senna and Tonraq looked at each other, and then at him. "Right now," Tonraq said softly, "She hardly has a life to loose. She doesn't even know it, really- thinks that it's normal. The praise and the pressure and this- this belief that she's just the Avatar, and nothing else, do you understand? She needs to live, and she can't do that here. But if she goes with you for training, she can."

"We don't want to put Korra in danger. We love her so much, but please, you have to take her with you."

Tenzin looked at them, and this time there was fire in his eyes. "Yes," he said finally. "I will take her. But you are coming too. I won't leave you here to be prisoners, and I will not separate you from Korra."

(~-~-~-~-~-~-~)

Avatar Aang was patient. _I'm not._

Avatar Aang was selfless. _Endlessly kind. Not like me._

He never picked a fight. _I always pick fights._

He saved the world when he was twelve_. I haven't done anything._

Avatar Aang was wise, and always knew what to do. _I never know what to say or do._

The thoughts flew in circles.

_I'll never be half the Avatar he was._

Korra stared at the ceiling above her, feeling Naga's warmth around her entire body.

Tenzin said that he couldn't teach her because of the dangers in Republic City, and couldn't take her there either. What could be going on that was so dangerous?

And still the thoughts poked at her. _Maybe he realized that you'll never be like-_

Thudding footsteps jolted her out of her thoughts. Naga raised her head, and Korra jumped to her feet, ready to shout herself hoarse at whoever was coming toward her. She blinked as her parents made their way toward her. Both of them were grinning, and her mom and tears in her eyes. Before she could say anything, they had pulled her into a tight hug.

"Wh-what?"

Her mom pulled back, smiling wider than Korra had ever seen her do before. "Korra, sweetheart, we talked to Tenzin. We're all going with him to Republic City, so that he can start your airbending training!" She hugged her again.

The words didn't seem real. Korra felt frozen. And then, like water breaking through thin ice, the excitement flew out of her. _"Whooo-whoooooo!"_ She jumped into her parent's embrace, hugging them back tight enough to make them gasp.

She turned back toward Naga, and threw her arms around her neck. "Can you believe it, Naga? Republic City get ready: the Avatar is on the way!"


	2. Welcome to Republic City

Hi all. I hope a very long chapter will satisfy you all. I did not intend for this to be as long as it is, and I had some trouble writing it. No Mako or Bolin yet, but they will be in the next chapter! I used the fan name for Zuko's daughter here, and some of you may notice that I used a fan name for one of the White Lotus guards as well.

Betaed by TaIoRaFoReVeR523. Many thanks to him!

* * *

Chapter Two

Welcome To Republic City

Within moments of arriving on Air Temple Island in Republic City, Tenzin was hurrying inside his home, heading for the nearest phone. The other acolytes watched him pass with worried expressions, and he could hear his children asking Pema why he was moving so fast.

He turned down the hall, entering his and Pema's room, picking up the phone. "Operator," the cool voice on the other line said.

"Connect me to the Fire Nation, Lady Honora please."

"Do you have the direct codes required to-?"

"Yes, yes!" Tenzin impatiently pulled a slip of paper from his bedside table. "I-R-Z-0-0-4." Though he'd sent a letter ahead to the Council, telling them of the White Lotus's doings, he had not had a chance to speak with the family of one of the White Lotus's founders. He frowned. If Iroh were alive to see what they had done…

"Hello?"

"Hello! Honora, its Tenzin."

"Tenzin!" He could hear the smile in her voice. "Its good to hear from you."

"Yes," Tenzin hesitated. "I'm afraid this isn't much of a social call. Is your father around? I know he was planning on leaving soon."

"He's still here. Is something wrong? Have things in Republic City gotten worse?"

"No, no. I'm afraid it's a problem with the White Lotus."

For a moment, Honora was silent. "My father will be here in a moment. Give me all the details the second you are done speaking with him." In that moment, she was Honora, Lady of the Fire Nation. Not his childhood friend. It still made him smile. She'd always been able to command authority.

"Of course."

There was a fumbling for a moment, and then the older, deeper, voice of former Firelord Zuko came to him. "Tenzin?"

"Hello, Zuko." When he was a child, he had called him 'Uncle Zuko', but had long been old enough to call him only by his name. The former Firelord now primarily served as an ambassador, and did a lot of traveling in his old age. Tenzin was lucky to catch him.

"Zuko, I'm afraid that the White Lotus have been twisting the law imposed by my father to suit their own devices."

"_What?!_" He heard what sounded like Zuko standing up from a chair. "In what way?"

"In short: they held Avatar Korra and her family as prisoners for the past years. In addition, her parents have informed me that the majority of them were poor teachers, that when teaching her how to bend, may have done more harm than good."

"I don't believe this…" Zuko sounded as if he were in shock. "What about Katara?"

"My mother tried to help them, but under the law as it is she and Korra's parents were taking illegal action by trying to stop them."

Zuko growled. Tenzin had often heard tales from his father of how Zuko had been when he was young. It was one of the strangest stories to hear; going from enemies to close friends in the way his father and Zuko had. One of the prevailing stories had been about Zuko and his temper. Though considerably calmer now, Tenzin had over the years seen his temper enough to know that those old stories were true.

"Those _bastards_. Daring to call themselves White Lotus. My Uncle would have been horrified to learn what has been happening." He stopped suddenly, as if just remembering. "The young Avatar! I assume you're not letting her or her family stay there any longer? Or Katara for that matter?"

"No." Tenzin shook his head; a strange habit to have when speaking on the phone, but one he couldn't seem to stop doing. "My mother is remaining in the Southern Water Tribe to serve as a healer to the village, but Korra and her family are coming here to live with me while she is undergoing her airbending training. They are on a ship right now. We couldn't all fit on Oogi, especially not with Korra's polar bear dog." He frowned. "The members of the White Lotus are on another boat, but in shackles. Under the strictest definition of the law or not, they had no reason to keep a family as their prisoners, and they will be facing a trial. Korra and her family will likely be called to testify, but not for some time. Due to the nature of this –and its relation to the Avatar – the council members here won't be able to do much of anything. I'm certain delegations from all four nations will be called to serve as jury."

He could imagine Zuko nodding on the other side. "I may find myself in Republic City for that trial, if I can."

Pema walked into the room, shooting him a questioning glance. He nodded once at her, and gestured that he would just be another moment. "I think that would be fitting."

"How is the young Avatar Korra? What the White Lotus have been doing to her….well, she may be unstable."

Tenzin watched his wife. She was carrying another child for them to raise and love. To think of anyone treating his children the way the White Lotus had treated Korra…it made his hands clench at his sides. "I think she is hurting. Her parents have been able to tell me a little, but from what I understand Korra isn't particularly forthcoming. I don't think it will all be fixed by bringing her here. Maybe we'll just make it worse, with how dangerous it could get here." He thought of his children again, in her place, and went on. "However, we _have_ to try to help her. I hope we can help her."

Zuko laughed softly. "Sometimes, you are very much like your father."

This comment made his gaze feel a little watery for a moment, but he blinked it away. Pema took his hand, and he looked out at the bay. Korra would be here tomorrow, if he was correct, and then he would see where this decision would go.

(~-~-~-~-~-~-~)

The wind made her hair tickle her nose as Korra stood at the front of the ship, watching the horizon, waiting to catch sight of Republic City. Tenzin would have been back for a day now, and they were supposed to reach the city this afternoon. Naga nosed her hand, and she smiled a little, putting her hand on top of her soft head, rubbing her ears gently.

"Good morning Avatar Korra!" One of the ship's crew called to her as he walked past. She turned a little and waved at him. "Morning!" The White Lotus Guards stood nearby, watching him carefully as he walked toward the captain's cabin.

It was a little strange, in some ways, having the guards come with them. On the one hand, they were the ones who had helped the White Lotus leaders keep her and her family prisoner. On the other hand, they were never mean to her, never malicious, and she distinctly remembered a few of them sneaking her some chocolate over the years. On top of that…she was used to them being there. Her jailers and bodyguards all rolled into one.

_Tenzin is going to teach me airbending. I can still do it. No one will have to know. I can still be a great Avatar. The best Avatar there ever was._

Naga, sensing her stress, snuffed a little at her hand, and Korra felt herself relax.

"Korra?"

She turned around. Her dad was standing there. His hood was down, and his hair, just like Korra's, was moving a little in the wind. A few of the ornamental water tribe beads clicked together softly.

"Hey, dad. What is it?"

He smiled a little, and walked toward her. In the days on this ship, her parents had smiled more than she could ever remember them smiling her whole life. Not that they'd never smiled before; they'd always tried to make the best out of a bad situation. "You mom's still laying down. Long-term sea travel doesn't agree with her."

Korra chuckled a little at the irony of the situation of a water tribe woman who got seasick, and then stopped, noticing that her dad seemed a little hesitant.

"Kor…" He took a breath, and then went on. "I know we never talked a lot, about the White Lotus. Maybe we should have, but your mom and I- we were just trying to make sure that-"

"I know." Korra looked back out at the ocean. It was true that they'd almost never talked about it. When she'd turned twelve, they'd told her the story of their disastrous escape attempt. All she remembered from it were snippets of sound and bright lights. She knew that they'd done the best that they could. She knew that they'd tried to make her laugh, to teach her about the world. A sudden memory flew across her eyes, and her fingers clenched on the railing.

"_Korra, you know how much we love you, right? And how very special you are?"_

"_I know," she said, quietly. "I'm the Avatar. I'm special."_

_Her mom had looked up from the pants she had been sewing, and her dad had stopped dead on his way to get more logs for the fire._

"_No." Her mom looked at her, and by some kind of unseen power, Korra looked right back, into her eyes. "No, Korra. That's not it. Yes, you are the Avatar, and that's special, but that's not why __**you're**__ special."_

_She blinked, confused. "I don't-"_

"_You're special because you're Korra," Her dad had said from the doorway, and her head had flipped toward him. He looked so…soft. And sad._

"_Yes. We love you. Because you're Korra. You see?"_

"Korra?"

She blinked, feeling a hand on her shoulder, and saw her dad standing at her side, concerned. She smiled, and then threw her arms around him.

"Love you dad," she said into his chest. She felt it rumble as he laughed. "Love you, too, Kor," he replied, wrapping his arms around her.

She was the Avatar. Her parents had loved her before they'd ever known who she really was, and somehow it made a difference. Her parents had tried to make her laugh, and teach her about the world, yes, but the White Lotus – jailers or not – had taught her about being the Avatar.

People made encampments for the Avatar, built statues of the Avatar, gave free food and gifts and love to the Avatar. She knew all of that to be true.

The rest of the world was about to meet their Avatar. She couldn't mess up.

She was the Avatar. She had to get it right.

Her dad stayed with her for a while, his arm around her shoulder. As the morning turned into the afternoon, he went to check on her mom, and Korra stared at the ocean again, Naga at her side.

Finally, she could see it in the distance. Her first, stupid, thought was that it was smaller than she'd expected. _Of course its smaller, you're looking at it from far away! And you're probably not even seeing all of it!_

Korra couldn't help but lean over the side a little, her breath caught in her throat. A huge city- with people and different types of food and benders and tall buildings, all waiting for her. Even from a distance, she knew she'd never seen anything like it.

"Look at it Naga," She breathed. Naga made a huffing sound, as if it wasn't all _that_ impressive, and Korra laughed. Behind her, the crew was preparing for docking, and every minute they came closer and closer to the city. The buildings were even bigger than she'd imagined, and all the different colors where almost too much to take in.

"Korra!" Her dad called. "Come on, get your stuff ready. We're going to be getting off soon!"

"Okay!" She called back, cupping her hand around her mouth. "Wait here Naga," she said as she jogged toward the cabin she'd been sharing with her parents.

Her mother was a little pale, but fairly steady on her feet. "I think the knowledge that we're about to dock is giving me strength," she muttered, and Korra grinned. Her things were a little strewn about the cabin (she'd never been the most organized) but in no time at all she had everything packed up again, and out the door, her parents following behind. The rest of their things were in the lower quarters, and the ship's crew would be helping them with that.

"You should get a great view of the city, Avatar Korra," another shipmate told her as they waited near the front of the ship. "We're going to pass most of it on our way to Yue Bay and Air Temple Island."

She nodded, entranced as they came to the edge of the city. Korra leaned over the railing again. "Wow," she gasped, looking back and her parents and pointing excitedly. "A satomobile!"

Her parents smiled and nodded, joining her near the edge, though her mother seemed determined to not look down at the waves, going a little paler.

Korra had only ever seen pictures of satomobiles in books, nothing up close. She watched it go by, its sleek metal body shining, wheels spinning faster than her eyes could track.

The boat started to move out further into the bay, and Korra frowned a little as the City and all its details became more vague.

"Look, Avatar Korra! Its your past life!"

She turned around.

A massive statue of Avatar Aang was in the middle of the bay on a tiny island. He stood, looking out at the city with his staff in front of him, almost as if he was still ready to protect it. He looked young: older than when he saved the world, but still a young man.

_They build statues of the Avatar._

She could feel her parents beside her, watching her, but she couldn't turn her eyes away. She stared up at his face.

_I wonder if you look from the spirit world at me, and are disappointed._

Korra wasn't even aware of the minutes passing, but her parents lightly tapped her, and she snapped out of it. The statue was farther away now than she remembered.

"We're almost at the island, Korra." Her mom said softly, still a little pale. "Are you alright?"

"Fine, mom." Her mom continued to look at her, and Korra sighed a little. "Its just…a big statue."

"Yes," she said, "it is, but Korra, you know that you-"

"Alright everyone!" The captain called, unintentionally cutting Senna off, "Last minute checks! Get everything together!"

Korra smiled a little. "Its okay mom. Really."

Senna didn't look like she believed her, but with the crew rushing around and the shoreline ever closer, there was no time to push the issue.

Within a few minutes they were pulling up onto the shore. Korra could see Tenzin and his family waiting for them, a few of the air acolytes (Katara had told her they were typically non benders who simply wished to practice the airbending lifestyle) next to him as well. The island itself had several small, squat buildings, connected through a series of outdoor hallways. Everyone seemed to be wearing orange and yellow robes of some kind, and Korra found herself wondering if it was required.

Tenzin and Pema waved, while Meelo and Ikki bounced up and down in excitement. Jinora, the oldest girl, merely watched them silently, smiling a little as the ramp went down and they started to unload everything.

"Master Tenzin!" Korra waved back at him, Naga bounding down the ramp, carrying a bag in her mouth, other bags loaded onto the sides of her saddle. Korra slid down easily as her parents came down the ramp after her, carrying their own drawstring water tribe bags.

Senna and Tonraq quickly bowed to Tenzin, smiling widely. "We can't thank you enough for this," Senna said, and Tonraq nodded, adding, "We don't know how we can ever make it up to you."

Tenzin waved a hand. "Don't think about making it up to me. I hope you make yourselves at home." He turned to Korra, and opened his mouth when Ikki cut across him, jumping in front of Korra, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Korra, Korra! Daddy says you're gonna live with us cause the White Lotus were mean! Is that true? And you're going to learn airbending! How come you can't airbend yet?"

"Uh-"

"Ikki," Pema said sharply. "Remember to breathe. And let Korra get settled before you bombard her with questions."

Ikki pouted. The oldest girl – Jinora – came forward and gave a slight bow. "Its nice to really meet you," she said, smiling a little. "I don't think we really had the chance to say anything to each other before. I hope you like living here."

"Th-thanks," Korra rubbed the back of her head, a little surprised. At that moment, Meelo sped past them, shouting a quick – "Don't touch my stuff!" back to her as he went.

Korra blinked after him while her parents burst out in laughter.

Pema rolled her eyes while Tenzin sighed as Ikki chased after Meelo, Jinora following after a moment, saying that they were being "immature".

"Let's get you all settled in, okay?" Pema said, clapping her hands together. "We can show you to your rooms this way."

Korra patted Naga's side. "Come on, girl." They trotted after them, a few of the air acolytes following, while still more members of the ship's crew dropped off luggage on the pier.

"The sky bison sleep in the caves on the other side of island," Tenzin was explaining as they walked. Korra only half listened, tugging at her coat. She'd known that the South Pole was one of the coldest places on the planet, but somehow she still hadn't imagined that somewhere else could be so _warm_.

She glanced back toward the statue of Avatar Aang, her hand nestled in Naga's fur. She kept her eyes on it for as long as she could, her stomach tight, before they turned a corner and she lost sight of it.

(~-~-~-~-~-~)

After unpacking, Korra had been anxious to explore the city. After a little wheedling, her parents had agreed, but only if she took two of the White Lotus guards with her, even though she would have Naga around as well.

Grumbling a little, Korra had agreed. It wasn't long before she'd made a few plans.

The guards themselves were okay; Rho was a bit stiff, with a mustache that looked as if he glued it onto his face each day. Howl was younger, quiet, and at first Korra thought that maybe she would be able to persuade him to let her be alone (or to at least walk further behind her!) but no such luck. A little timid or not, he was loyal to his duty of protecting the Avatar. Within a few minutes, Korra was starting to get desperate. They didn't let her try any of the street food (worried that it was poisoned) and they also insisted on walking on either side of her when they crossed the street, and even when they were walking on the sidewalk. People were staring, and couldn't get within two feet of her either.

So, Korra gave them the slip.

Honestly, it wasn't as if they could hope to catch up with a polar bear dog. Not one for detailed plans, especially when there was so much she wanted to do right that second, she just pushed her heels into Naga's sides and they sped off before the White Lotus could even shout after her.

"Run, Naga, run!" Korra urged as they went down and alley and out into the street. Satomobiles screeched all around her as they came to sudden stops, and swerved out of the way of her and Naga. "Sorry!" She called back to them, wincing. They ran over a bridge and down another street, squeezed into an alley by a restaurant called '_Narook's Noodlery'_, and then emerged again into a different street before they slowed down.

Korra looked all around for some sign of the guards, or some indication that people were looking for her. A few people glanced at her, sitting on top of her polar bear dog, but most barely glanced at them.

"Whew. I think we lost them girl." Korra patted Naga's neck, and they walked forward more slowly, letting people walk around them, and giving satomobiles a wide berth. Again, Korra was struck by the size of everything. She'd never seen any glaciers as big as the buildings here, let alone so many people at once.

People were everywhere; talking, yelling, walking, laughing. There were children, and people that looked older than Katara. A few people seemed to be performing tricks of some kind for money to a clapping crowd.

On top of all the sights, there was the noise, not to mention the smells. Satomobiles were honking, birds and other animals were calling, and people's voices buzzed around her like so many buzzard wasps. The smells were a million mixtures of things she couldn't have even described. There was smoke and food, sweat, sun, stone, and more. Korra felt as if she could have spent all day just taking everything in, but Naga pulled forward suddenly, giving an excited yip, heading straight for a food vender selling some kind of meat on sticks.

"Whoa, girl," Korra said, and Naga slowed down, coming to a stop right in front of the vendor. Korra slid off the saddle, and Naga stuck her head inside the tented stall, the woman inside giving a surprised yelp.

"Naga, wait," Korra said sharply, and Naga pulled back, sitting down and wagging her tail. Korra couldn't help but smile, and approached the vendor. "Sorry about that," she said, leaning in a little closer to smell everything. Whatever the meat was, it smelled delicious. "We'll take one of everything, please."

The older woman inside glanced at Naga, but then nodded. "That will be twenty yuans." Her voice was clipped, businesslike.

_Yuans? Oh shit. _The White Lotus had money, she knew, and she hadn't thought to ask her parents for any. "I um, don't have any money?"

The woman drew back haughtily. "Then what good are you to me?!" She closed the curtain on her cart.

"But, I'm…" Korra stopped. None of the people knew her to be the Avatar. No one looked at her, no one expected anything of her, or gave her anything simply because of who she was. She turned around, and patted Naga's head. "Don't worry, girl. The city's huge! We'll find a way to rustle up something to eat."

Thankfully, within minutes they found themselves at a park with more grass than Korra had ever seen, along with a lake and a stream with fish in it.

Catching fish with waterbending was one of the easiest things in the world, and cooking them with firebending was even easier. Tossing a few to Naga, Korra sat down eagerly to dig into her own fish, when a slight rustling from a nearby bush stopped her. Glancing at it, Korra jumped in surprise as a man sprung out of it. He was dirty, had a wild grey beard, and his clothing was a little torn. He was also irrepressibly cheerful.

"Say," he said, waving his arms a little as he hopped closer, "could I have one of those tasty looking fishes?"

"Uh," Korra shrugged, tossing him one. "Sure."

"Much obliged! My name's Gommu! " He sat down smartly, and ate the fish with gusto.

Korra stared at him while he devoured the fish, smacking his lips and nodding his approval. "So…" She began, coughing a little. "Do you, uh…live in that bush?"

He nodded again. "Yes in-deedy! Took me quite a while to procure a bush of that beautiousness! This park is quite popular with all the vagabonds."

_All the vagabonds?_ Korra blinked. A strange man deciding to live in a bush was one thing, but, a lot of people living in a park? This was Republic City! People were supposed to be living in houses the size of her compound. Instead, the people in this park…didn't have any homes at all. Korra lowered her fish, eyebrows furrowing. How could this be? "I thought…everyone here was living it up," she admitted.

Gommu laughed. "Young lady, you've got a lot to learn. Welcome to Republic City!"

Somehow, despite his cheer, the welcome still sounded sarcastic.

_Is this a regular thing? People living without homes?_ Korra couldn't fathom it. How could they not have a place to live? She opened her mouth to ask, when a voice called across the way.

"Hey! You can't fish here!"

Korra whirled around; several official looking men were running toward her. Her vagabond friend jumped quickly back into his bush, calling back: "You'd best skedaddle!"

She didn't hesitate. Whistling for Naga, she hopped on, and they were off again. In none too long they'd lost their pursuers, and were in another part of the park. Several people were walking up and down the sidewalk. Scattered around were people standing on overturned buckets, or on top of boxes. Some had posters or banners strung behind them, and were speaking into megaphones; others still were just shouting as loudly as they could.

The nearest had a large banner in addition to a megaphone. The banner was emblazoned with the face of a masked man surrounded by bright bits of orange and yellow. The mask was white, and painted to almost look like a face, with a large red circle on his forehead.

The man with the megaphone was speaking into it, and a crowd had formed. "Are you tired of living under the tyranny of benders? Then join the equalists!"

Korra frowned. _Tyranny of benders? What is he talking about?_ She nudged Naga forward as the man went on: "For too long the bending elite of this city have forced the non-benders to live as lower-class citizens! Join Amon, and together we will tear down the bending establishment!" He raised a fist for emphasis, and a few people in the crowd were muttering their agreement.

"What are you _talking_ about?" Korra burst out, Naga walking a few steps closer. "Bending is the most amazing thing in the world!"

The crowd turned toward her, and the man glared. "Let me guess, you're a _bender_, aren't you?"

Korra crossed her arms. "Yes, I am."

The man stepped forward tauntingly. "Then I bet you'd just love to knock me down with some waterbending, huh?"

Korra scowled. "I'm seriously considering it."

The man turned to the crowd, gesturing dramatically with his free arm. "This is what's wrong with the city! Benders like this girl only use their powers to oppress us!"

The crowd turned toward her again, but this time their fists were raised as they seemed to close in on her, yelling, demanding for explanations or reparations for things she hadn't even done.

Korra drew back, both confused and irritated. "What?! I- I'm not oppressing anyone! You- you're just oppressing yourselves!" She dug her heels into Naga's side, and they walked away, the voices of the crowd, and the taunting man, following her.

It took several minutes for Korra to stop fuming. How _dare_ that man- bending was amazing! She was the Avatar, their protector! However, as she glanced at the sky she noticed that the sun was a lot lower down than she remembered it being. As it was she would already be in trouble with her parents and Tenzin; if she didn't get back soon it would only get worse. So she led Naga over to the side of the road, trying to look around and figure out how to get back to Air Temple Island.

The street seemed to be mostly occupied by various shops or stalls. There were almost no cars there, and the street itself was small, almost like an alley rather than a street. There were two people speaking quietly to each other, an older woman and a middle-aged man. Korra slid down Naga's side and walked over to them, a little embarrassed. "Hi," she said, waving a little as the man and woman looked at her. "Sorry, but, I think I'm a little lost. I'm trying to get to Air Temple Island; do you think you could tell me which way to go?"

The woman nodded, and waved an airy hand down the street. "Just go down this way, and-"

At that moment, a long, shiny, red satomobile pulled onto the street, moving slowly. The front had a gold ornament of a lion turtle. The woman and the man shrunk back a little into the shop as three men stepped out of the satomobile.

"Best get going," the old woman said quickly. "Its not safe here."

Korra frowned, watching as the men walked toward a phonograph shop. The elderly man in front stood stock-still, frozen during his act of polishing one of the phonographs.

"Mr. Chung," the man at the front said lazily as he walked closer, "Please tell me that you have my money." He looked to be a waterbender, judging by his clothes. The other two were, by the same reasoning, a firebender and an earthbender.

Mr. Chung shank back as the waterbender went on, smiling slyly. "Or else, I can't guarantee protection of this fine establishment."

Mr. Chung gulped. "Business has been slow, I'm sorry! P-please, take one of my phonographs!" He offered up the one that he had been polishing, holding it out with trembling hands.

Without taking his hands out of his pockets, the firebender moved his led in an arc, sending it crashing through the phonograph, fire licking at its edges. Mr. Chung jumped backward, crying out as he fell on the ground, his arm half raised to protect himself.

The waterbender went on, gesturing lightly with one hand. "My friend here is not a music lover. Give me my money or else-"

Korra couldn't stand any more. "Or else _what_, hoodlum?" She stepped forward confidently, glaring at them. The three men whirled around, and Mr. Chung picked himself up, scooting away.

The three men looked at each other, and then at her again, and burst out laughing. The waterbender stepped forward again. "Since you're obviously fresh off the boat, let me explain a few things." He walked closer, narrowing his eyes, his voice taking on an edge. "This is Triple Threat Triad territory, and we're about to put you in the hospital." As he spoke, the men behind him also moved closer, chuckling to themselves.

Naga started growling, and Korra sent a calming gesture in her direction, smirking. "You'll be the ones needing a hospital," she said loudly to the men, who stopped in their stride, looking confused. "And for your sake," she added, punching her right fist into the palm of her hand, "I hope there's one nearby."

The waterbender glared at her. "Who do you think you are?"

Korra's grin widened. Her first chance to show just what kind of Avatar she could be! "Why don't you come and find out?"

Enraged, the waterbender charged forward, seeming to pull water from the pouch at his waist. The blast came toward her; Korra redirected it easily, sending it right into his face, and freezing it. The man wobbled around, eyes flicking, mouth open in shock as he stumbled, his head hitting the ornamental lion turtle on the front of his satomobile. The ice shattered, and the man slumped to the ground, out cold.

Korra turned to the other two men who were staring at her. The firebender scooted backward a little, but the earthbender leapt into the air, fist driving down as he prepared to move the earth. Korra was one step ahead of him; moving her hands upward, a column of dirt sprang up, catching the man in the gut and sending him flying.

The firebender didn't hesitate this time, sending a stream of fire her way. Korra jumped right into the flames, feeling her own fire in her palms, deflecting the oncoming wall of fire easily, coming out the other side and grabbing the man's wrists.

Before he could do more than yelp, she turned him around, building momentum. Grunting a little with the effort, Korra threw him through the window of the shop. He crashed through the glass and landed in front of the counter, completely still.

The satomobile roared behind her, and Korra whirled around, seeing the firebender at the wheel. The earthbender shot past her suddenly, propelled by his own pedestal of earth. He landed ungracefully in the satomobile, which rumbled down the street.

Korra gritted her teeth, sprinting after them. "Oh, no. You're not getting away!" Planting her feet and moving her hands upward again, the satomobile was flung into the air by the very earth beneath it. The satomobile tumbled over a few times before it crashed into another shop. The men inside crawled out of it, moaning.

Hands on her hips, Korra smirked. "I'm the Avatar, chumps."

A loud, echoing siren sounded, not unlike the one back at the encampment in the South Pole. Korra whirled around, half formed thoughts about the White Lotus in her head, only to see an airship above her, bearing a gold crest.

Wire shot out from the airship, and Korra relaxed, grinning. "Metalbenders! Awesome!" Naga padded over to her, watching the commotion, her tail wagging.

"This is the police! Freeze where you are!" A voice issued from some kind of intercom from the airship.

Men slid down the wires, dressed in the dark metal uniform that set them apart from other members of the police. They landed neatly on the ground, and took a moment to look at the scene.

Korra gestured around with one hand. "Hello Officers! I caught the bad guys for you!"

The man in front looked at her for a moment, and then pointed at the men sprawled on the ground. "Arrest them!"

Korra smirked, feelings of pride and warmth spreading through her chest. Her first real job as the Avatar! She'd caught the bad guys all by herself.

Three officers pulled the near-unconscious men into handcuffs, leading them away. The man turned to her as she started to walk away. "Hold on there, missy! You're under arrest too!"

Korra froze in her tracks. "What! Why? Those are the bad guys!" She pointed at the men being led into the back of a police satomobile. "They were smashing up a shop."

The officer in front of her was not moved. In fact, he glared. "By the looks of things you smashed up a lot more than that." Without another word, he bent his arm, shooting out a metal cable at her; her hand shot out to catch it out of reflex.

Korra jerked backward, pulling on the cable. "Wait! You can't arrest me! Just let me explain-"

"You can explain all you want back at the station," The man pulled the cable out of her hand and charged, this time throwing two cables at her. Korra ducked, rolling out of the way, and was on her feet again a second later, while Naga bumped the man from behind, sending him tumbling forward. In another few bounds she was at Korra's side. Korra leapt on her back, and they were off.

She could hear the other Metalbenders behind her, yelling, demanding that she stop. Her thoughts were fractured. _Can't. Can't let them stop me, I'm the Avatar dammit, I can't be caught doing this- ruin everything-_

A metalbender was at her side for a moment; her foot shot out, catching him in the face and sending him into the wall.

More cables shot out, and Naga turned a corner as the cables crashed into a brick wall and they emerged out of the alley and onto another street. Satomobiles screeched to a stop as drivers and pedestrians screamed, and Naga kept running. Korra looked behind her, ducking as another cable flew over her head. The police were swinging from the cables around the city like they were vines, and the airship was on its way toward her too.

They were at a bridge now, and Korra leaned forward a little more, as if this would somehow make them go faster. More cables crashed into the pavement, the wood of the bridge snapping as they hit. Suddenly, something tugged sharply on her ponytail.

Gasping in pain, Korra felt the cable tug on her hair again and jerked her head forward as Naga ran the length of the bridge. Swinging her hands in a large swooping motion, the water in the river flowed up behind her, creating a wall of ice. She heard a loud thud a moment later as the man attached to the cable on her hair hit it. The pulling on her hair ceased and Korra shook her head a little to clear it.

They were still coming. There were far more of them than the White Lotus guards. They seemed to be coming from every side of her. Naga turned down onto another street, a satomobile swerving out of the way and up onto the sidewalk. The driver angrily yelled at them, but Korra hardly noticed. She heard the sound of the metalbenders sliding on top of their cables across buildings. Another bridge was coming up, and this one had a train under it.

Korra smirked, and jerked Naga's reins toward the train. Within moments she'd jumped off the bridge, and landed on the train, her paws almost slipping off before she found her balance.

Korra sighed in relief. She straightened, seeing Air Temple Island just across the bay. _Naga and I can easily swim back!_

Another alarm sounded, and a shadow passed over her. Korra's head snapped up; more metalbenders were there, on top of buildings, and there was another airship too. She jerked Naga's reins forward as the train began to turn right.

Airborne, cables shot out at them, and wrapped around Naga. In the next instant, four were around Korra, binding her arms. Naga struggled for only a moment, but Korra fought every inch as they were carried across the city to the police station.

In front of the station was yet another statue. This one was of Toph Beifong; close friend of Avatar Aang, and the first earthbender to metalbend. The police building itself was one of the nicest in the city. It was brightly colored and had many pillars.

As she stared at the statue of Toph, Korra's shoulders slumped, and she let herself be led inside.

She was brought into a small, windowless room with a table and two chairs in the middle, sitting under a small light. Her hands were bound to the table. She only had to wait a few minutes before someone came in.

It wasn't the man she'd spoken to before. It was a woman, middle-aged, with dark hair in a sort of bob cut, and two scars on the right side of her face, hooking under her chin. She glared at Korra as she walked in, her entire being radiating disapproval and confidence.

She dropped a notebook on the table, the loud _slap_ of the book hitting metal making Korra jump a little. "Let's see," the older woman began, "Multiple counts of destruction of private and city property." She walked a little farther into the room, her face shadowed. "Not to _mention_ evading arrest." She bent over, her face right in front of Korra's. "You're in a whole mess of trouble young lady."

Korra's fists clenched, and she fought the urge to stand up and get in the other woman's face as well. "But there were some thugs threatening a helpless shopkeeper!" She really couldn't understand what the problem was. She was the Avatar, for crying out loud!

"Can it," the woman said dismissively. She walked to the other side of the table. "You should have called the police and stayed out of the way."

Korra leaned forward a little, slightly impeded by her binds. "But I couldn't just do nothing! Its my duty to help people." The woman raised her eyebrows, as if finally listening, and Korra smiled a little. "See…I'm the Avatar."

The woman snorted. "Oh, I'm very well aware of who you are. And your title might impress some people, but not me." She walked to the front of the table again, her arms crossed.

Korra scowled. "Okay, fine. Then let me talk to whoever's in charge."

The woman looked around. "You're talking to her." She sat down. "I am Chief Beifong."

_Beifong?_ Her mind flashed to the statue out front. "But- you're Toph Beifong's daughter!"

"What of it?"

A little frustrated, Korra pressed on. "You shouldn't be treating me like- like a criminal! Your mother and Avatar Aang were friends! They saved the world together." _Everyone knows this. I've known it for as long as I can remember._

Chief Beifong waved her hand. "That's ancient history. And its got diddly-squat to do with the mess you're in right now." She stood up again. "You can't just waltz in here and dole out vigilante justice like you own the place."

For a moment, Korra felt strange. For once, Avatar Aang's name hadn't gotten her out of trouble, or made the person in awe of her. It made her stomach twist, but it also felt almost _nice_.

There was a knock on the door. Beifong looked toward it. "What?"

"Chief, there's a Councilman Tenzin here to see you."

Beifong sighed. "Fine. Send him in."

Korra's stomach tightened again. _I tried to prove what kind of Avatar I could be. What kind of Avatar I am. All I did was show how much I'm not like Aang._

The door opened a moment later, and Tenzin came in. He shot her a look, and Korra felt like sinking back into her seat, but instead looked back defiantly. Tenzin focued on Beifong next.

"Lin," he said, striding forward, "You're looking radiant as always."

"Cut the crap, Tenzin," Beifong said. "What do you want?"

He hesitated, and looked at Korra again, but this time his expression was different, almost…sad. "Lin, what have you heard about Korra coming here?"

Beifong narrowed her eyes, but answered anyway. "It was reported that the Avatar would be arriving here. I have not been given all the details as of yet."

"Lin, do you think we could…speak privately?"

She sighed again. "Tenzin, whatever you have to say, just-"

Tenzin cut across her. "Please, Lin."

She looked at him for a moment, and then nodded curtly. She glanced back at Korra. "I'll be right back. No funny business, got it?"

They left, closing the door firmly behind them.

"What kind of funny business could I get into in here, exactly?" Korra asked the empty room. She glanced down at her hands, clasping them together, waiting for Tenzin to come back.

(~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~)

"I'm not letting her off the hook for this, Tenzin. If she's going to be living here, she has to abide by the laws."

"I know, Lin, I know." Tenzin rubbed the back of his neck. Lin was always so curt with him, now. Always to the point, every word clipped. "But there is something you don't understand. The Council hasn't released the information to anyone yet. I expect you would hear about it soon, but Korra didn't know that what she was doing was wrong-"

Lin snorted. "I'm not going to let her off scott-free because her parents didn't teach her right from wrong-"

"No!" Tenzin cut across her, and she actually blinked in surprise. "Its not like that, Lin. Please, just listen to me for a moment."

At first it looked like she would argue more. Or maybe punch him. Then she took a deep breath. "Fine."

"Korra was practically raised in a prison compound. Her parents did everything they could, but the White Lotus have been corrupted, Lin. They kept her locked away from everything. People her age. Information. Contact with the outside world. She did not know anything about the laws here, because there was no way for her to know. She needs to learn those laws, but this was her first day here. And her parents were hardly able to be aware of the laws when they were locked up right beside her." With every sentence, Lin eyebrows rose. Tenzin paused for a moment, and then went on. "Korra can't be excused because she is the Avatar, I'm not asking for that. But please, let her off this time so that she can learn about the laws she's never had a chance to understand. In addition, I will cover the damages from her actions today."

For several seconds, there was silence. "Fine," Lin said again, turning her back on him, and heading for the door again. "But if she ends up here again-"

Tenzin nodded, and followed her inside the door where Korra was waiting.

(~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~)

"Tenzin, I-"

Tenzin lifted one hand, halting her words. They were waiting to pick up Naga from where she'd been taken after Korra was arrested. They were surrounded by various people with a variety of strange pets. "Korra, do you understand why I am angry with you?"

"Because I was arrested?" Korra sat down, twisting her hands together.

"No. That's not a pleasant thing to hear, but in this case Korra, you did not know any better. We are going to have to work on that in the coming months. Regardless, that is not why I am angry with you." He faced her, crossing his arms. "Do you realize how worried your parents have been?"

The question startled Korra. A vision of her parents crossed her mind; now, when they'd just gotten away from the White Lotus, to have her disappear. Her eyes widened. "I- I didn't think-"

"I can see that." Tenzin's voice was coated in disapproval. "I was worried too. Korra, you left behind the guards we wanted with you for protection. You vanished. Anything could have happened to you."

_And then the world would be without its Avatar, _Korra thought, bowing her head. "I- I'm sorry, Tenzin."

For a moment, he was silent. "Its your parents you really need to apologize to, Korra. They've been out of their minds with worry."

Guilt throbbed through her again. The only people who had loved her before she was the Avatar- the people that had tried to escape with her and make her laugh. Her parents. Mom and dad; she should never have done this to them. She nodded quickly, feeling tears prick her eyes. She blinked them back, looking up at Tenzin again, letting determination fill her. "I'll make it up to them. And I won't let something like this happen again. I promise."

Tenzin looked at her for a moment, and then nodded. "Very well. As I said before, you'll have to learn the laws here. In addition to airbending training, I will teach you a bit about the laws, so that you don't get yourself arrested again." The last sentence was laced with just a touch of dry humor, and Korra smiled a little.

"Excuse me, miss?" Korra looked up, seeing a very exasperated looking man holding onto a collar around Naga's neck. "Is this your polar bear dog?"

Korra nodded, and Naga licked the man's face, making his hair stick straight up, and slobber drip off his chin. Unable to help it, Korra giggled, and Naga ran over to her, nearly dragging the poor man with her. Thankfully he let go at the last second, and wearily turned around and walked away.

When they returned to Air Temple Island, Korra knew that she would have to work to make things up. Her parents did not lecture her (not for a while anyway, that came later) and instead hugged her tight. They held her between them, and Korra knew, in that moment, that things would get better.

As a result of her day in the City, Tenzin set up an official greeting of Republic City for Korra. She would meet with reporters and photographers, and give a statement about why she was there.

The cameras flashed in front of her eyes, nearly blinding her. Korra squinted into the crowd. "Hello?" she said into the microphone. Her own voice reverberated around the area. The people seemed to press closer, still snapping pictures. A few were cheering.

"I'm Korra," she went on, and she glanced to her left, feeling encouraged by her parents and Tenzin standing there to the side, ready if she needed help. "Your new Avatar."

The crowd went wild, and the clicking sound of pictures being taken still somehow reached her over it.

_They take pictures of the Avatar. Praise the Avatar. Love the Avatar._

Voices reached her too. "How long are you planning to stay in Republic City?"

"Were you trying to send a message to the Triads yesterday?" Another reporter came forward, trying to get her attention.

"Are you here to fight crime, the anti-bending revolution, or both?" Asked another.

"Will you be working with Chief Beifong and the police?"

Korra blinked at the crowd, trying to remember all their questions. "Uh. I'm here to stay, for a while. Not really sure, guess it depends, but honestly, I- I don't exactly have a plan, yet." She paused, and then added "See, I'm still in training, but…" Korra took a deep breath. Everything she had learned about Republic City hadn't all been true. She knew that it was supposed to be a haven. A peaceful place.

_Like Avatar Aang intended. If I can make his dream a reality, then maybe…_

"All I know is that Avatar Aang intended for this city to be the center of peace and balance in the world." She thought for a moment of the homeless man she had met, of the men who had picked on helpless people. "I believe we can make that dream a reality." She raised her arm, confidence flowing through her now. "I look forward to serving you!"

The crowd cheered again. _The Avatar is here to serve them._

"I am so happy to be here! Thank you, Republic City!" She watched the crowd, her heart warming as their voices seemed to fill her entire body.

She could do this. She could be a great Avatar. An Avatar that the world deserved. Better than Avatar Aang.

(~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~)

Underground, somewhere in the city, men and women listened to the broadcast. Some were angry, others pensive, and others still frightened.

"-happy to be here! Thank you, Republic City!"

A man reached forward, turning the radio off. He wore a facemask and goggles, his goatee just showing through, weapons at his back like twin swords. He turned around, looking at the man sitting in the chair. "Amon, how do you want to handle this?"

Amon was silent for a moment, and then turned around, his masked face in shadow. "So, the Avatar has arrived early. That means we'll have to accelerate our plans."

* * *

EDIT: Clearly I'm a little off today. I forgot to answer the reviews!

MarvelousMarvel: Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked it, and I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.

Akela Victoire: As you can see, I'm definitely continuing it. Glad you enjoyed it!

Elizabeth: Haha, yeah, he's pretty unlikeable. Even in his brief appearance in the show (unnamed) I didn't like him at all. You'll see more of him later, too, when the trial happens. That may not be until the sequel I hope to write, its still kind of up in the air. I'm glad you like this so much! And I'm going for Borra. I can't stand Makorra at all, and I really like Mako with Asami.

froggychan: Oh, thanks! The feedback I've gotten has been great so far. Glad you like it. :)

Frozen Dewdrops: Yeah, the series started off wonderfully, but around episode five or six it spiraled off into something...less than great. I am also sick of Makorra. It just came off so unnaturally to me. Thanks for the review!

Gabubu: Haha, well, I'm glad to inspire such feeling in my readers! Hope you enjoy this chapter.

I already answered Penelope Oswald Oleesen in PMs, so that's all for now!


	3. A Leaf in the Wind

Hey all! So, the third chapter took a bit, sorry for that. I had a difficult time with the probending scenes, and I also had some medical problems that prevented me from writing, not to mention college. So, I hope to have the next one more quickly, but no guarantees. The next chapter will be a sort of "filler" in the sense that nothing in it happened on the show, but expect character development and lots of Borra! I'll also try to make it a little less lengthy.

Betaed by TaIoRaFoReVeR523, as usual. :)

I hope you all enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: Clearly, if I owned Korra, this is how the series would have gone. But, alas, I don't own it.

* * *

Chapter Three

A Leaf In The Wind

"…And in the final round, the Buzzard Wasps won with a decisive knockout!" Korra set down the newspaper excitedly, grinning at her parents, who chuckled a little while they ate their breakfast. Korra was already finished, and Tenzin sat just a little farther down from them, sipping tea with a disapproving look on his face.

"Probending is amazing! I can't believe that we're so close to the area now." Korra looked at the photograph of last night's fight in the paper.

"That waterbender of theirs seems like he could use some pointers, though," Tonraq said thoughtfully, sharing a look with Korra. Senna chuckled, rolling her eyes a little.

"Dad, mom! We should go to a match tonight!" Korra practically jumped out of her seat with excitement. Before her parents could answer, she added, "What do you say, Tenzin, want to come with us?"

Tenzin snorted. "Probending is a perversion of the noble tradition of bending."

Korra was disappointed for a moment, but went on. "Well, your loss! So, mom dad, do you want to-"

"Korra," Tenzin cut across her, his palm lightly slapping the table. She blinked. "As your airbending teacher, I do not want you to attend those matches. You are here to learn airbending, that probending will not only serve as a distraction, but will also impede any teaching I do."

"What?" Korra gasped, actually standing up this time. She scowled. "You can't tell me to not go, that's up to my parents!" She turned to them confidently.

Tonraq frowned. "Tenzin…we are very grateful for everything you have done, but Korra _is_ our daughter."

Tenzin seemed to cool down a little. "My apologies." He nodded slightly toward them. "I don't mean to try and take control. However, Korra _is_ here to learn airbending. I truly believe that watching probending matches would only be a distraction, and would undermine the teachings I will be showing her."

Senna and Tonraq glanced at each other, and then at Korra. "Sweetheart," Senna began, "Maybe while you are training, it would be better if we didn't go to probending matches. At least until you start to learn the technique Tenzin will be teaching you. Maybe in a few months-"

"But mom!" Korra gaped at them. Her parents had said that they wanted to her to live, and now they were saying that she couldn't fulfill a dream and watch a probending match? "Ugh! I can't _believe_ this!"

"Korra," Tonraq stood and approached her. "We're not trying to keep you here. You can still go to the city, and there are plenty of things to do there. This isn't forever. We are going to be in Republic City for a long time. Even if you can't see probending now, that doesn't mean you can't ever see it." He glanced at Tenzin, who nodded reluctantly. "Just, for now, let's settle in a bit, and get your training going first, all right?" He put a hand on her shoulder.

Korra sighed, blowing a bit of hair out of her face, crossing her arms. "Yeah," she muttered. "I guess."

"Sweetheart, we can still do something this weekend together. I've heard that there's a movie theater here. You've never seen a movie before." Senna offered a smile, and Korra felt her posture relax. So she couldn't see probending this weekend. So what? She could be patient. She _could_.

"That would be great, mom." Korra tried to smile back, but it felt like the muscles in her face weren't working properly.

"With that out of the way," Tenzin stood, gesturing toward the doorway. "Shall we begin the first day of training?"

At this, Korra felt herself brighten. Maybe she couldn't watch probending, but she could train with Tenzin, and it would all lead to her being the best Avatar the world had ever seen! "Yes! Let's go!" She quickly kissed her dad on the cheek, and ran around the table to do the same her to her mom. "See you guys later!" She sprinted out the door, Tenzin following at his own careful pace behind her.

After changing into the air nomad robes (Tenzin was a traditionalist if nothing else), Korra found herself outside, at a part of the compound she hadn't seen much of yet. As they walked along the pathway, a few ring-tailed flying lemurs jumped past her, scaling the wall with ease, fruit held tightly in their mouths. Korra watched them climb in fascination, unveiling their wings to soar across the island. Her eyes followed them until they were specs in the distance.

"So," Tenzin said, sounding a little unsure, "My mother informed me that you have not yet been able to airbend?"

Korra shoulders slumped a little. "Yeah. No matter how hard I try, nothing happens. The other elements all came so easily to me."

"That's quite all right," Tenzin put a hand on her shoulder, and Korra looked up at him in slight surprise. "Often the element that the Avatar has the most trouble with is the one most opposite to their personality. For my father it was Earthbending. Besides, you've never had a proper teacher in airbending. The only time my father used the other elements before being taught was when he was in the Avatar State."

_The Avatar State. _Korra had seen a few illustrations in books, mostly showing a glowing figure controlling all the elements at once. Katara had told her it was a defense mechanism that let the Avatar use the power from all of his or her past lives. It was the most powerful form the Avatar could achieve. Katara had said that Avatar Aang hadn't really been himself whenever he was in the Avatar State, and that seeing him that way had always scared her. Still, she hadn't been able to deny what the White Lotus told her either: that without the Avatar State, Aang never would have won the war, or any of the conflicts afterward.

Of course, part of entering the Avatar State was being able to contact the spirit world, and Korra hadn't been able to do that either. _Avatar Aang could do it when he was twelve. He could airbend, enter the spirit world, and learned all the elements in less than a year. What's my excuse?_

"Korra?"

She blinked, and looked over at Tenzin again. He was watching her, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Korra," he began, "I don't want you to think this was all easy for my father. He had to face a lot of hardship to get to where he was."

She looked at the ground. "I know." She knew that. Avatar Aang had struggled. Had fought and learned all the elements and helped the spirits, all when he was twelve years old. Korra was seventeen. Aang had done all of that, and so far she had done nothing. Her fists clenched. _That is going to change. I am going to learn airbending, and be the greatest Avatar the world has ever known!_

"Anyway," she went on, as they began climbing some stairs, "I'm about as opposite from an Airbender as you can get."

Tenzin smiled. "Well, that's why I'm here. Let's begin your first lesson." As if on cue they came to the top of the stairs. Korra gasped, and stopped in her tracks.

Before her was concrete ground, just like in many places. On the side, tall, thin trees grew, stopped from overflowing by rocks. However, midway across the expanse was a circle, on a little pedestal just a bit above the rest of the ground. On the pedestal were several wooden panels, taller than her by several feet, and about as wide as her arms if she stretched them out. They were suspended a little above the pedestal by little wooden stakes. As she watched, the panels twitched in the breeze, rotating just a little. Each panel was also painted with the Airbender insignia, the light blue surrounded by pale brown.

Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo were all standing off to the side. Ikki was jumping up and down excitedly. "Korra's gonna airbend!" she shouted over and over. Jinora watched them calmly while Meelo stared up at the sky, seeming to be watching the birds.

"What is that contraption?" Korra asked, jogging a little after Tenzin.

He smiled. "Its a time-honored tool that teaches the most fundamental aspect of airbending." He turned to his oldest daughter. "Jinora, would you like to explain this exercise?" He gestured at the wooden machine.

Jinora nodded solemnly. She walked up to the panels and lightly touched the closest surface. "The goal is to weave your way through the gates and make it to the other side without touching them."

Korra raised her eyebrows. "Sounds simple enough."

Ikki jumped between them excitedly. "Jinora forgot to mention that you have to make it through while the gates are spinning!"

Without another word, Tenzin stepped closer to the gates, and twisted his hands in front of himself, pushing them – and the very air – forward. The gates began to spin, almost faster than Korra's eyes could really track. Tenzin pulled a leaf out of his pockets, and let it float forward toward the gates. As she watched, the leaf moved between the gates with ease.

"The key is to be like the leaf," Tenzin said. "You must flow with the movement of the gates." He turned again to his oldest daughter. "Jinora will demonstrate."

Jinora nodded once, smiled a little, and ran forward. Korra held her breath as Jinora leapt into the spinning gates, and didn't hit a single one. She spun, seemingly at the last minute, avoiding one gate after another.

"Airbending is all about spiral movements," Tenzin went on, watching Jinora with unmistakable pride. "When you meet resistance, you must be able to change direction at a moment's notice."

Jinora emerged out the other side, the gates starting to slow down. She blew a gust of air at them, making them spin rapidly again.

Korra stood straighter, and punched her fist into her palm. "Let's do this!" Without another word, she charged forward-

-and ran into the first panel. She bounced off of it, smacked into another one, and stumbled inside. Before she had time to register more than the swirling gates, she crashed into another, and another, no matter where she turned or how she tried to run she just kept hitting them, and all of a sudden she was flung forward by another gate though the end. She tumbled in the air and rolled on the ground.

For a moment she was dizzy; the sky and the sun seemed to swim before her. Then she growled, and jumped to her feet, ignoring the way her shoulders and head stung. Korra charged at the gate again. Vaguely, she could hear Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Tenzin all shouting instructions to her, but the details of it were lost as she slammed into yet another plank.

It was over in a matter of seconds. Disoriented, Korra had the faint impression that she had been sent flying out of the gates again, before her world went black.

When she came to (surrounded by both Tenzin, Pema, their children, her parents, and several Air Acolytes) the frustration settled in. Ultimately, she left with nothing more than a bruised head, but even thinking about the gates made her fists clench.

Later, Korra sat on her bed, back against the wall, her knees drawn up to her chest. The faint buzz of the radio next to her provided little distraction from her thoughts.

_Why can't I get this right?!_ She made a low noise in her throat. _What am I doing wrong?! _

With a huff, she stood up, and twirled her wrists like she'd seen Tenzin and Jinora do. She aimed at the newspaper from earlier, sitting on her windowsill. "Airbend!" She called, as if voicing it would suddenly bring the ability to her. With a growl she punched the air more aggressively. "Airbend!" She punched the air two more times, each more violently. With a roar, she leapt forward, fire growing in her palm, lighting the newspaper.

Korra watched it burn. The flames licked at the edges of the paper, and even from a few steps away she could feel the heat on her body. As she stared at it, watching words eaten by the flames, with everything from ads from some Future Tech company, to a headline about Lin Beifong, her shoulders slumped. She carefully smoothed out the flames with her fingers, and flicked the ashy remains of the paper out the window. The flakes fell to the ground, out of sight.

Again, she felt the tightness in her stomach return. _What if I can't do this? What if I can never learn to airbend?_ If she never learned to airbend, no one would remember her. She would be a failure.

Lightly, she wacked herself on the head. "Stop it," she muttered. "I can do this. I'll be the best Avatar there ever was."

She practiced late into the night. Every so often her frustrations would cause her to firebend again, but with little to burn she sometimes settled for kicking the walls.

She didn't airbend once. She fell asleep only when she was too tired to move anymore.

The next day wasn't any better. Or the one after that. Or, the one after that. After four days of unsuccessful training, meditation, and too many arguments with Tenzin to count, Korra felt her fears creeping in again. She tried not to think about it too much, but even Tenzin seemed to have little faith, or patience, with her.

Meelo was only _five_ and he could airbend; Korra was the Avatar, and she couldn't. Avatar Aang had probably been born airbending.

Her parents were supportive, but they didn't really know how to help her. Korra knew that they loved her, but they couldn't understand how important this was. The entire world was waiting for her to be a true Avatar, to be just as great as Avatar Aang, and fix everything. She couldn't let them down. She couldn't be a failure.

The best comfort was found with the radio. Every night they broadcasted Probending matches, and every night Korra sat eagerly nearby, hanging on every word. The audience favorites were the underdogs, the Fire Ferrets. They were newcomers, and were surprising everyone with how quickly they were rising in ranks. Mako was the team captain, the firebender on the team. He usually handled the one on one tie-breakers, and had a history of hat tricks. Bolin was the earthbender, and Mako's younger brother. He was known for taking out his enemies with a single, strong, shot, and for playing up the crowd a little. Hasook was the waterbender, and though he wasn't a bad player, more often than not he ended up knocked out of the arena. Every word the announcer spoke could send Korra to the edge of her seat, or clutching at her hair in despair. In no time at all, she too found herself a fan of the Fire Ferrets. Every night she went to sleep with impatience, and not just for her airbending. She wanted to see a probending match, to cheer with the crowd and see new types of bending. She wanted to watch Mako pull a hat-trick, or Bolin knock an enemy clear off the arena. She wanted to see it all.

On the fifth night, after yet another day of meditation where the minutes crawled by like hours and the gates beat her up and spit her out, Korra decided that she would see it, Tenzin's preferences be damned.

Maybe if she spent the night out and cleared her head, she would be able to airbend tomorrow. Or maybe if she saw new types of bending, she would learn how to improve her technique. And Tenzin would never have to know.

But, she did want some people to know.

She walked quietly down the hallway, telling herself that there was no reason anyone would be suspicious of her visiting her own parents. She hesitated carefully outside the door, listening, making sure she wasn't, well, _interrupting_ anything (considering the hut they'd lived in before, it had happened more than once, and Korra was not keen on it happening again). They were talking quietly, seriously, and she faintly heard her name mentioned. Fighting the urge to eavesdrop, she took a deep breath and slid open the door.

"I'm sneaking out."

Tonraq eyed her as she stood in the doorway. "You seem to be forgetting the 'sneaking' part."

"I didn't want to worry you again," Korra said, arms crossed, her eyes on the floor.

Senna glanced at her husband, but then smiled. "We'll hold down the fort." She paused. "Sweetheart, we shouldn't have defaulted to Tenzin on this. We were just talking about it, actually. Tenzin is a good man, and we know he means well, but we still should have stood our ground. We just…we're so grateful to him, that-"

"We wanted to repay him, in any way we could," Tonraq added. "It didn't seem like such a bad thing to wait, but…" He ran a hand over his head. "You're frustrated, and I think you could use a break." He smiled, raising his eyebrows. "And you're letting us know you're running off this time, too."

Korra laughed a little, relief washing through her.

Senna smiled, and then hesitated. "But, Korra, we don't want Tenzin to worry either. Try not to be gone too long. If he asks us where you are-"

Korra nodded. "I get it. He can't have the Avatar disappear." She grinned. "Don't worry. I'll be back faster than you can say 'platypus bear', I promise." She leaned forward and hugged them quickly. "I'll tell you everything about the match when I get back!"

"Be careful," Senna said, stroking her hair gently.

"No running from the police this time, alright?" Tonraq teased. He added in a more serious tone, "Kor, just be safe. Defend yourself if you have to, I don't care what the law says. Keep yourself safe. Come back to us."

Korra stepped back. "You're not going to insist I take a White Lotus guard?"

Tonraq shook his head. "They'd never let you go, not that they could stop you," he added. "In some ways I think its safer if you go without them. You're less recognizable that way."

Senna nodded, and even though she was smiling, Korra saw that her forehead was wrinkled, eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Its true," she said. "But like we said, please, sweetheart, be careful."

Korra nodded, and stepped around them. "I will be!" She called, walking across their room, crawling carefully out their window and into the night.

She looked back and saw her parents silhouetted in the light from the window, watching her. Warmth washed over Korra's chest. They were letting her do this. She fought the desire to jump up and down, and ran quietly, but swiftly, across the yard. She stopped as she reached the edge of a building, peering carefully around it.

She could see the cabin where the White Lotus guards slept. The ones on duty were gathered around a small radio inside, whooping and laughing. She could faintly hear the voice of a very familiar announcer. Korra grinned. _Looks like I'm not the only fan of probending, _she thought. Taking a slight breath, she shot across the way, darting behind trees where she could. The White Lotus never looked her way, and before long she was standing at the bay. Excitement vibrated through her body, and she dived into the water, bending it around her as she fell so that there was no splash.

The cool water fit around her like a second skin, and Korra moved through it just as easily. All of the elements felt this way to her- all except airbending. Even underwater, she scowled, and moved her thoughts away from that. Tonight was about probending, and having fun.

The journey across the bay was quick; her arms didn't even get tired. She popped her head up above the slight waves, staring at the huge arena. It had a domed roof, and was lit up with more lights than she could count. She could see a crowd outside the front gates of the arena, holding signs and cheering, seeming to be straining to hear anything from inside. Korra frowned. She wasn't getting in that way. Her eyes scanned the side of the building, and she grinned as she spotted a second story window with light shining through it.

She twisted her wrists, almost like she was tightening the cord on reigns, and moved herself upward with waterbending. Flowing with the stream of water, she pushed herself through the window. The water splashed a little against the floor as she rolled inside, dripping. With a slight spin, she quickly bent all the water out of her clothes and hair (a neat trick both her father and Katara had taught her early on).

She'd landed in a hallway. Taking a guess, she turned around and walked farther down the hall, peeking around doorways occasionally. Eventually she came across a huge room full of mats, weights, nets, and other equipment she couldn't name. _This must be the gym, _she thought as she walked forward, trying to take everything in. The room really was huge, with plenty of room for the probending players to practice.

"Hey." Korra jumped, and whirled around. An old man was walking from the right side of the gym. He was slightly hunched and had a potbelly, but was still muscular, with white hair pulled back into a short ponytail, and sideburns. He looked like he had a permanent frown on his face. "What are you doin' in my gym?"

_Whoops! _"Um," Korra plastered on her most innocent smile. "I was just, uh, looking for the bathroom."

The man rolled his eyes, grunting a little as he set a heavy weight on the ground. "Ah, the old 'I had to pee' excuse." He stepped forward, scowling, actually waving a finger at her, his voice rising a little. "You know, I'm sick and tired of you kids sneakin' in here without paying! I'm taking you to security!"

Korra's mouth dropped open, but before she could respond, another voice called out behind her. "Oh, _there_ you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Korra blinked, and looked around. A boy around her age jogged toward her, grinning. He had thick black hair smoothed back over his head, one curl popping over his forehead, thick eyebrows, and deep green eyes. He was muscular and somewhat stocky, only a few inches taller than her, and was wearing a red and white probending uniform. His smile was easy, and despite herself she felt a smile creeping up on her face as well. She'd never really seen any boys around her age. A few of the White Lotus Guards were somewhat close to her in age, and she'd even had crushes on a few of them, but still, standing next to a cute boy close to her age gave her a thrill.

"Its alright Toza," The boy said, still grinning. "She's with me."

The old man – Toza – didn't look particularly convinced.

Korra quickly played along. "Yep, I'm with him!"

"So you see, we're together," The boy went on, and Korra frowned a little.

"Well, not _together_, together. More like friends," Korra jumped in. Cute or not, she didn't know this guy.

The boy looked embarrassed, and glanced at her. "Oh, right, friends. I didn't mean to imply-" He lifted his hands slightly in a gesture of peace.

"Oh, you implied it," Korra muttered under her breath. Again, she almost found herself smiling. She didn't even know him yet, but already she liked messing with him.

Toza grunted, and she looked back over at him. "Ah, I don't care what you are,  
he grumbled. "I got work to do." With that he turned around, and using earthbending, moved a few stone weights into the air.

"Right this way, miss." The boy was grinning again, and this time Korra did join in, chuckling a little.

"Why thank you sir." She followed after him out the doorway and back into the hall.

"I've got the best seats in the house," he said as he walked, looking back at her. "Unless you really were looking for the bathroom," he added.

Korra laughed. "Nope, you got it right. I'm looking for some great probender action!" She pumped her fist.

His smile grew. "Great!" They turned a corner, and he opened a small door.

Korra gasped. The inside of the arena was even bigger than it looked from the outside. They looked to be in a sort of open locker room, or probending lounge. There was a railing ahead of her, and the outcropping they were on was both above and a little forward of the crowd. From the sounds of stomping feet above her, there were even more seats above the ceiling where she couldn't see. She couldn't even get a clear look at the rest of the crowd; all the people seemed like splotches for the most part, with occasionally flashes from a newspaper photographer. Even though the match hadn't started yet, the crowd was still cheering, and Korra walked in almost reverently, trying to see everything at once.

"What did I tell you?" The boy said from behind her. "Best seats in the house."

"This is unbelievable," Korra breathed, walking over to the railing and leaning a little over it. "Its even more amazing than I imagined!"

The boy looked pleased. "The name's Bolin, by the way."

She turned to him, practically bouncing on her toes. "I'm Korra!"

Bolin gave her his easy, friendly smile again.

All of a sudden, his name registered with her. "Wait- Bolin?" She gasped excitedly. "You're the earthbender for the Fire Ferrets!" She tried to imitate the announcer, "One of the fabulous bending brothers!"

His eyes widened, and he looked both prideful and shy. "You've heard of me?"

"Hell yeah! The other night, when you knocked out the other earthbender on the Buzzard Wasps team? That sounded amazing!"

His grin hitched up a few notches. "Well," He shrugged, taking on a slightly self-involved tone, "What can I say? I've got some moves."

She laughed. "I'd say you do."

"Bolin." Korra looked at the doorway, surprised. Another boy around her age stood there, wearing the same color uniform. She had to admit, he was rather handsome. He was taller than Bolin by several inches, and had dark brown hair rather than black. He had amber eyes, and was leaner in build, though still muscular. He was frowning, and when he looked at her, his frown deepened. He jerked his head toward the lockers along the back wall, and Bolin nodded. Bolin turned toward her and gestured to wait a moment.

Korra turned back to look at the crowd, peering more closely at the actual probending court below. It was split down the middle, and had three half circles painted in different colors on both sides. The zones, Korra remembered from all her nights of listening to the radio. The court itself was on a raised platform surrounded by water. When a probending member was knocked off the court, he fell into the water, and was officially out of the round.

Bolin was still talking quietly to the other guy, who, now that Korra was looking again, kept glaring at her. She glared back. _Asshole. I haven't done anything wrong._ It looked like Bolin was trying to win him over about something. She caught the word "special", but that was it. Finally, Bolin turned to her again, and he was smiling once more.

"Korra," he called. "Come meet my brother, Mako."

"Mako?" Korra walked over, excited again. "Oh, I've heard of you too! You're mister hat-trick!"

Mako looked at her flatly. Then he looked at his brother. "Come on Bolin, we're up."

Korra raised an eyebrow, trying not to show the hurt that flashed through her. "…or I guess I can meet him later."

Bolin winced a little, but spoke lightheartedly. "Yeah, sorry about that. My brother can get really…_focused_…before a match." He grabbed a helmet off of the nearby table, and slid it on his head. It looked like a slightly tight fit, but none of the uniforms were meant to be flattering anyway. "Okay, I gotta go. Wish me luck! Not that I'll need it," he added hastily.

Korra grinned again. "Good luck!" She punched her fist in the air. "Knock 'em out, hard-hitter!"

He gave her a slight salute, still smiling, and jogged after his brother. There was a moving platform that Mako and the waterbender – Hasook, Korra remembered – were already standing on. Bolin hopped on quickly. Mako seemed to start saying something to him, and Bolin waved an airy hand. As she watched, Bolin turned around again and waved at her.

Korra laughed, and walked up to the railing, watching as they approached the court. A hush seemed to go over the crowd as the two teams gathered on opposite sides of it.

"Introducing the fantastic Fire Ferrets!" The announcer's voice echoed through the crowd and reverberated in her ears. "I'm Shiro Shinobi, and welcome to tonight's Probending match!"

The crowd roared in response, and Korra cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting along with them. Her heart seemed to pound with every cheer. Her hands gripped the railing tighter, and her jaw was starting to hurt from smiling. She heard a few shrieks from the crowd of girls declaring their love of certain players, and then the referee struck the bell.

"And, they're off!" Shinobi shouted and Korra leaned over the railing, trying to get an even closer look at the action. If only she could be everywhere at once!

Below, Bolin quickly ducked a fireblast from the other team, kicking up one of his earthbending disks at the same time, but said firebender destroyed the disk with more fire. Mako sent his own fire toward the opposing earthbender, only for him to dodge it as well. Hasook blocked a blast with water gathered up from beneath his feet, but was scooted back several inches by the force of it.

"-first to feel the heat of the Tigerdillos! And there goes Mako, showing off his trademark, 'cool under fire' style-" Shinobi was describing every second of the match, and Korra tried to concentrate both on his words and what she was seeing. There was just so much to take in!

Hasook fired a blast of water at the Tigerdillos' earthbender, but the boy nimbly cart wheeled out of the way. Bolin sent two more earth disks arcing toward the firebender; the first missed, but the second clipped him in the shoulder and he staggered back. Korra whooped, jumping up and down. "Go Bolin! Go Fire Ferrets!"

Mako easily dodged both a shot of fire and an earthbending disk from the other team, shooting his own fire back in return. Without wasting a breath he crouched to the ground to avoid more earthbending disks, and shot forward with two more blasts of fire. The waterbender stumbled backward, but managed to catch himself on the railing before he crossed the zone line.

In the next second, the Tigerdillos sent a blast of water and fire directly at Hasook and Bolin; Hasook was sent scooting back into the second zone, and Bolin followed a moment later, stumbling after a fireblast.

"Gah! No!" Korra clutched at her hair. "Come on, Ferrets! Don't let 'em push you back!" She knew that they probably couldn't hear her, but still she had a feeling she may shout herself hoarse as a result of the match.

At the same time, Mako leapt forward, spinning in the air and dodging both a water and fire blast, but the moment his feet touched the ground, an earth disk slammed into his chest, sending him scooting backward. His foot stumbled back over the line, and a horn sounded. The referee made a motion in the air, and Shinobi shouted "Oh, the Tigerdillos move into Fire Ferret territory as all the team members are forced back into zone two!"

"No, no, no! Come on, Ferrets!" Korra called as the crowd either cheered in delight or moaned in despair.

The match seemed to go by in seconds. Korra gasped, cheered, and practically leaned over the railing watching them. Hasook was knocked out of the arena, and had to wait for the next round to re-enter the game. Bolin managed to push the waterbender back into zone three, and Mako, showing movement that seemed to imply his ancestors could have been birds, was able to dodge many attacks from the Tigerdillos. However, both Mako and Bolin were eventually pushed back into zone three as well, and the first round went to the Tigerdillos.

Korra clutched at the railing, her heart pounding. She felt as if she'd just run across the city. Every inch of her seemed to be buzzing with anticipation, fear, and excitement. "You can do it, Fire Ferrets!" She called again, pumping her fist in the air.

Mako seemed to be yelling at Hasook, and Bolin was between them, his hands up in a calming gesture. The Fire Ferrets rearranged themselves and took their places again at the head of the zones. The Tigerdillos faced them, seeming almost cocky.

Round two went better for them. Bolin knocked the earthbender straight off the arena, while Mako and Hasook knocked the water and firebender respectively back into zone three. It all seemed to be over in a matter of seconds; the Fire Ferrets had pulled ahead to a tie, and there was only one more round to go.

(~-~-~-~-~-~-~)

Bolin drummed his fingers on the table, Pabu curled contentedly around his ankle. Mako was cooking dinner, and despite his earlier arguments with Hasook, was in a good enough mood to be bobbing his head to the music on the radio.

Bolin stared out into space. The match had been great! Mako had led them to a victory in the end, but he couldn't stop thinking about Korra. He'd only known her for one night and he knew that she was different from the excited fangirls that always ran up to them after matches, looking for Mako's autograph. They hung on every word, giggled, and no matter how pretty or funny or nice they were, they never, well, they never picked him up, that was for sure. But Korra had.

When the match was over he'd strutted toward her, and the next moment had been a blur as Korra picked him up – _picked him up_ –and all of a sudden he wasn't sure what was going on. Korra was saying something, shouting, even, but he didn't hear a word of it because her face was right in front of his and did she seriously just pick him up? _Spirits_, she was pretty, and her eyes were so _blue_-

Bolin shook his head, trying to snap out of it. He thought about it over and over in his head, thinking about her blue, blue, eyes and how strong she was, and how she looked when she smiled. She'd been really willing to learn too! She'd even asked him to show her some probending moves, and she listened to everything he said, and improved right away. She definitely had a natural knack for bending. Her original stance was very traditional, and while it was good, in Probending Bolin had learned that it was better to be light on your feet.

He wanted to know everything about her. When she'd finally had to leave she had seemed almost sad – he was sad to see her go, too – but hadn't said much about her home or parents, just that they lived on Air Temple island. She'd also promised to be at their next match, and Bolin had immediately cleared her presence with Toza and the guards. Mako hadn't been pleased, and Bolin's stomach squirmed a little at that. Once he got to know Korra though, he was sure that Mako would warm up to her. Still, Mako hadn't forbidden her from coming, so Bolin thought that was a good sign.

But why had she moved from the South Pole in the first place? Did she have any siblings or pets? Oh, he could show her Pabu at the next match; Bolin knew they would get along great.

As if hearing his thoughts, Pabu looked up, giving a few chattering sounds, poking his nose against his calf. Bolin grinned, mussing Pabu's head a litte.

"Food's almost done, Bo," Mako called, still bobbing his head to the music. Bolin grinned at the sight (Mako would never admit it, but he was a good dancer, though he didn't like the crazy dips and twists that Bolin loved.)

Did Korra like Water Tribe noodles? He figured that she must, but then again he didn't like a lot of traditional Earthbender foods so he'd have to ask.

Bolin glanced out the window, toward Air Temple island. He wondered what Korra was doing right now. Was she sleeping, or practicing the moves he'd shown her? Maybe she was eating dinner with her family…

For a moment, a half-forgotten thought from long ago filled his head, of Mako and himself at a high table, while a woman with eyes like his cooked dinner, laughing, while another man tried to get her to take a break and dance with him-

Bolin shook his head again. Memories hit him at strange moments; sometimes it was the scent of certain flowers, or the smell of dumplings, or even when he looked at his own face and eyes in the mirror. He didn't remember his parents as vividly as Mako, who sometimes at night would bring up his own memories. When it was late, after they'd had a good match or one of them had woken the other from a dream, sometimes Mako would look at the ceiling and say: "Bo, do you remember when…?"

Sometimes just Mako's words would bring the memory forth, but other times Bolin didn't remember anything. Mako could draw, too, and sometimes Bolin saw him sketching mom and dad's faces, but even then there was something almost vague about them. It would take a moment for Bolin to recognize them, and the moment he looked away the image would fade again.

More vividly he would remember nights of empty bellies and dirty, narrow ally ways, crawling beneath the things people threw away in order to stay warm or dry. He remembered Mako standing in front of him when fights broke out with the others, as they often did, protecting him.

Pabu crawled up in his lap as Mako slid the bowl of noodles on the table for Bolin. He grinned at his brother, who smiled back, and began to eat.

Bolin hoped he'd be able to start seeing Korra outside of Probending matches, but since she'd told them she was the Avatar, he supposed she might be pretty busy.

Still, he glanced out the window again, and he hoped.

* * *

First time I've ever written Bolin's POV, so hopefully I did okay. I feel fairly satisfied with it.

Reviews!

Once A Blue Moon: Thanks for enjoying! As you can see, I did in fact update! :)

NetsirkBlue: Yes, the plot in LoK was a bit disappointing overall. I have a lot of plans for this rewrite, so I hope I make enough changes to satisfy people! I'm glad that this shows promise. Thanks so much!

DeathscytheVII: Wow, thanks! I really wanted to nail her characterization here, so I'm glad its coming across well. I'm also gla dthat she is sympathetic, but also in character. I really wanted to include Senna and Tonraq because there are not too many kind or stable parents in the ATLA 'verse, and I really wanted them to be a part of Korra's life. I'm glad that Yrack infuriates you! As for Amon...well, only time will tell. :)

PurpleFlyingToasters: Thank you! I didn't update "soon", but I updated!

Akela Victoire: I'm glad you're enjoying this. Thank you so much for the review!

Kelev: Yes, I wish that it had been touched upon as well. There are hints of it, but it is not nearly as fleshed out as it should have/could have been. And, well, logic is important. Thanks! I'm really glad you like it. :)

LoneGrayWolf: Thank you! Yes, she will have a crush on Mako at first (honestly it makes sense for her character) but she will eventually get with Bolin. :)

That's all folks! I feel so happy to be getting such a positive response toward this fic. Thank you all so much for your comments!


	4. Not-So Bitter Work

Well, another long chapter! Sorry for the length on these. I really just couldn't find a good place to split it.

Anyway, the dance in this chapter is called 'The Charleston', and it is a very simple dance from the 1920s. The song is 'Blue Skies', which was also written in the 1920s, by Irving Berlin. There's a lot of good Borra-ness in this chapter, so enjoy.

Beta-ed by TaIoRaFoReVeR523 as usual!

* * *

Chapter Four

Not-So-Bitter Work

Needless to say, Tenzin wasn't pleased when he found out about Korra going to the Probending match. However, her parents had none of his complaints. She was given permission to go to the next match, and her parents and Pema dragged Tenzin with them. However, to all of their shock, Hasook was a no-show at the match, and in desperation, Korra replaced him as the waterbender for the team. Bolin was thrilled about the idea, Mako decidedly less so.

It had been a rough start, but in the environment of the Probending arena, Korra was finally able to move like an airbender to avoid attacks from the other team. It was her actions that led them to a victory, and as she stood there, listening to the crowd roar her name, she had felt her heart pound with every cheer. Someday, they wouldn't just be cheering for her probending skills. Someday, they would be cheering for her as the Avatar.

Mako; whom Korra had been privately calling Captain Asshole –admitted to her skills and apologized for his behavior toward her. Bolin had embraced her in excitement, and she had been offered a permanent position on the Fire Ferrets team.

Tenzin softened toward probending after that, and along with her parents, started to regularly come to matches. Much to Korra's surprise, he was starting to become quite a probending fan, and at dinner would sometimes get into excited discussions with her and her parents over certain events in matches.

Mako treated her less coldly than before, although getting a compliment from him was often like pulling teeth. It was the most frustrating part about him! Why couldn't he just admit that she was doing well? The most she'd ever gotten out of him was a "not bad" or a general "good practice". She deserved more praise than _that_!

After practice Bolin would usually invite her out to eat with them, often getting cheap food from vendors, or else inviting her up to their little apartment above the probending arena.

More often than not, Mako wouldn't attend these get-togethers, mostly going off by himself instead. When he did eat with them, there wasn't the same easy give and take that she felt with Bolin. She never knew where to stand with Mako, and both in and outside of practice they often got into arguments. Still, she was getting to know him better, and only rarely thought of him as Captain Asshole anymore.

Bolin was fun, in pretty much every way she could imagine. He was funny, and full of energy, not to mention the sweetest guy she had ever met (not that Korra had met very many men, but still). He always seemed to slide up next to her and ask her questions, or make her a part of the conversation. He had a pet fire ferret named Pabu, who Korra immediately liked. Pabu was roughly as long as her arm, covered in orange, red, and white fur, and was extremely friendly. He was also the inspiration for their team name. Unlike with Mako, she always knew where she stood with Bolin, and the days she ate lunch with him after practice were always full of laughter.

It wasn't too long before Korra realized that this was what it was like to have _friends_, and that, aside from Naga, she'd never had any before. This realization spurred her to action.

It was her fifth week as a member of the Fire Ferrets team. There was going to be a match next week, and there had been double practices in order to prepare for it. With practice on top of airbending training, Korra was feeling a little tired, but still determined.

"So," she coughed. Mako was putting away his gear, and Bolin, still in his practice uniform, was turning the knob on the radio. He turned toward her, smiling as usual, Pabu curled around his shoulders.

"Uh…are you guys, um, busy, this weekend?"

This time Mako looked over, his eyebrows furrowed. Bolin blinked, but then his grin grew wider. "Why, whatever did you have in mind for this weekend?" He drawled.

His attitude helped Korra relax a little. She'd never done this before, and even though she knew it was simple, there was still something stupidly nerve-wracking about it. But she drew her shoulders back, and went on confidently. "If you guys aren't busy, I was wondering if you would like to come to Air Temple Island for dinner with my parents, and Tenzin and his family. And me, obviously."

"That sounds great!" Bolin stood up excitedly, jostling Pabu a little as he moved. The fire ferret chattered for a moment, and then secured himself on Bolin's shoulders again. Bolin walked over to her, grinning from ear to ear. His enthusiasm brought a smile to her lips as well, and she felt her nervousness abate for a moment, only to return as she realized that Mako hadn't answered yet. No matter what, when it came to the brothers, Bolin always defaulted to Mako.

He was looking at his helmet, seemingly lost in thought. "I'd been thinking about having practice this weekend," he began, "but I guess that'd be alright."

"Awesome!" Bolin whooped, punching the air. He turned to her, grinning, like after they won a match. "When should we be over? What will we be having? Will Pabu be allowed at the table? Wh-"

Korra laughed, cutting him off, suddenly feeling lighter than air. "Slow down, Bo! You're worse than Ikki sometimes! Dinner won't be until it gets dark, but come over earlier if you want. What we're having is up to Pema, and...," she leaned over, scratching Pabu's head, her knuckles accidentally brushing Bolin's cheek. "Pabu would be a welcome guest at the table," Korra cooed as Pabu nuzzled her hand.

For some reason, Bolin's face was a little redder than before, but he still grinned and talked animatedly about the dinner. His eyes seemed to shine while he looked at her, and he gestured with every word. Mako even approached them, smiling a little, his helmet and hesitation left behind.

Her entire body felt like it was lighter, as if any moment she would rise into the air. She had friends, and they were coming over for dinner.

However, Mako soon had to leave. "I promised Toza I'd help him out with some newbies in the gym today, remember Bo?"

"Right, right. I'm doing that tomorrow." Bolin waved an airy hand.

Mako nodded. "Well, see you later, Bo, Korra." For a moment, his eyes caught hers, and Korra felt a swooping sensation in her stomach, but it was gone the next second, along with Mako.

"Soooo," Bolin said, turning back toward her. "Lunch?"

"Sure!" Korra grinned, shaking herself out of the strange feeling that had washed over her when Mako had left.

It took them only a few minutes to change and head up to Mako and Bolin's apartment, which was right above the stadium. The two White Lotus guards that Korra was still required to have with her, followed behind them, giving them enough space to talk privately, but still being close enough to intervene if necessary. The first time Bolin had seen them, he'd bombarded them with excited questions about what it took to be a White Lotus guard, if they had any funny stories of Korra growing up, did they bend any elements, and so on. Though at first they had regarded him with bemusement, and a vague wondering if he was a threat, soon they had warmed up to him. It was hard to not like Bolin; he made everyone feel welcome.

The apartment was small, around the size of Korra's hut back home, but with a little more floor space. It also had quite possibly the best view in the city, with wide windows overlooking Yue Bay and Air Temple island.

They lived by themselves. Probending gave them most of their income, but Bolin said that sometimes they both – Mako especially – did extra jobs for more money. When Korra had asked about their parents, Mako had scowled, and Bolin's face had crumpled a little. "They're dead," Mako had said shortly, marching off soon after. Korra apologized, but the awkwardness passed as soon as Mako was gone, and being with Bo was never awkward. He'd said that they'd been living up in the apartment for nearly a year now, and "it's not much, but its got the best view."

Some days they went out to eat, but other times they simply ate up at the apartment, eating whatever was leftover or in the pantries.

They went inside chatting happily, Korra giving the White Lotus guards a look to know again that _yes_, waiting outside the door was still giving her enough protection.

"So, I think we're going to kick some serious ass next week at the match, don't you?" Korra said, settling at the table.

"Oh definitely," Bo nodded vigorously, his eyes bright, "With you and Mako on the team, we're sure to do great!"

She lightly punched his shoulder. "Don't sell yourself short now! We've got you too!"

"Oh, of course," He grinned. "You know I've got some moves." He struck a pose, and Korra laughed. Bolin, his ever present smile still on his face, slid her a bowl of noodles. She slurped them happily, and peppered him with questions in-between bites. Even though she had been there for several weeks now, she still hadn't seen very much of the city.

"So, what do you guys like to do when you're not probending?" Korra asked, taking a break from eating to drink some water.

Bolin finished chewing, and shrugged. "Oh, a few things. We work a bit. Toza always has stuff around the gym for us to do; gives us a little money. Mako's usually out patrolling the streets for extra work too. When I have free time I go swimming, or go to the park, or hang out here with Pabu." He scratched the ferret's head affectionately. "Oh! And sometimes I go dancing. The dance halls here are really great."

"Huh. I've never been dancing before," Korra remarked.

"Really?!" Bolin leaned forward, talking quickly and excitedly. "Oh, we'll definitely have to go sometime! Its so much fun!"

"Eh," Korra scratched behind her head. "I don't really know how. I never had the opportunity to learn."

"I could teach you." Bolin smiled, just as he had the day she'd met him and he'd offered to teach her probending. "I bet you'd get the hang of it quickly."

"Oh, no, no, really. Thanks Bo, but its no big deal. Dancing's not a huge life skill or anything, and its not really my style-"

"So what? Its fun." He leaned back a little in his chair. "Besides, how can you know it's not your style if you've never tried it?"

"Well…" Korra frowned. "In all the pictures I've seen, it's mostly a lot of girls in _pretty dresses _and_ makeup_, and that's…not me."

"Dancing is for everyone," Bo said easily. "Do I look like I'm wearing a dress?" He gestured to himself.

"Well…" Korra said teasingly, drawing out the last syllable.

Bolin laughed. "In any case," He stood, and walked toward a table where a small radio sat. He moved through the stations for a moment, until music filled the air. It was a quick song, with sharp piano beats. He turned back toward her, and held out his hand. "Care to dance?"

She flushed. "Oh, Bo, really, I can't-"

"Come on," he said, still grinning. "I said I'd teach you." He leaned forward. "Even Pabu will dance with us."

"He…will?" Korra asked. She stared at Bolin's hand. She'd seen her mom and dad dance before, but it had always been slow, and they'd been pressed close together.

"Sure," Bolin said easily. "Pabu loves to dance."

She still stared at his hand, her face hot. She almost couldn't believe it. She was the Avatar! How could she be balking so much at the idea of _dancing_?

"Korra." Bolin was serious now, green eyes deep and earnest. "Here's your opportunity."

She took his hand.

He pulled her toward him, and they stood a little closer than arms-length apart. He frowned for a moment, thinking. "Let's start out with something easy. I'm going to put my hand on your back-" he did so, and Korra found herself peering a little over his shoulder. "Okay. Now, you put your left hand on my upper arm, Korra." She did so, feeling incredibly silly. "A little to the left." She shifted her hand. "Great!"

"Now, we hold our other hands like this, see?" He put his left hand over her right.

"O-okay."

He smiled at her. "Relax a little. I promise I won't make you trip."

She laughed, her voice a little higher than normal. "I'm more worried about stepping on your feet, actually."

"Well, my lady," he said, "I believe I will live if you do." She couldn't help giggling a little, and he stepped back just a bit. "Okay, this is a two-step dance. When I step forward with my right foot-" he jiggled said foot for emphasis- "You step back with your left. Then when I step forward with my left foot-"

"I step back with my right?" Korra guessed.

He nodded. "Exactly. See, you're getting it already!"

She was starting to feel herself relax, and she nodded, her face set.

"After that, you'll do the same thing back to me. Ready?"

She nodded again, and he stepped forward slowly. She moved her foot back in turn, almost stumbling a little, but Bolin kept her steady. He stepped forward with the other foot, and she followed him again. She kept her eyes determinedly on their feet. Hesitantly, she stepped toward him, and felt strange satisfaction that he stepped back in time with her. She was doing it right!

In her eagerness, she stepped forward more quickly than he was prepared for, and stepped hard on his foot.

She winced. "Sorry, Bo."

He smiled, shaking his foot out a little. "No problem, Korra. You're doing great. Just keep moving in those steps, okay? Follow my lead."

She nodded, eyes on her feet again. This time she paid attention to the small pressures he put on her hand, how she could feel him moving just a second before he actually did. It reminded her a little of the earliest waterbending move Katara had taught her: simply pulling and pushing a wave. _Push and pull, _she thought, moving with him now.

"You're doing great, Korra!" She looked up at him briefly, and he nodded in encouragement. "Now, try to go with the beat of the music."

Korra nodded, looking down again, letting the music fill her ears.

_Blue skies smilin' at me_  
_Nothin' but blue skies do I see_

She almost tripped again, but moved faster, moving to the beats in the song. Back and forth, back and forth, she moved the music, Bolin's arms guiding her. The movement and the words of the song seemed to fill her up, and she grinned, looking up at Bolin again. His eyes flicked away from her for a moment, and his face looked a little red, but then he smiled at her again.

Together, they danced, smiled, and laughed, and Korra thought that the weekend couldn't get there fast enough.

(~-~-~-~-~-~-~)

Korra tumbled out of the spinning gates, skidding a little on the ground, just barely keeping herself on her feet.

Senna winced a little at the sight, but still smiled, stopped halfway from going to gather the laundry, watching the lesson.

"Oooooh, that was so close, Korra!" Ikki called from the other side of the gates.

"You're getting a lot better," Jinora added. "Just a little more practice, and then-"

"Then you will be a master like me!" Meelo proclaimed, waving his arms in the air for emphasis.

Senna saw Korra rolling her eyes a little, blowing hair out of her face.

Tenzin stood a little behind his children, his arms crossed, nodding in approval as the gates slowed to a stop. "They are right Korra," he said as Korra walked around the side of the gates, brushing some dirt off of her airbending attire.

"You truly have improved," he went on, giving a slight smile. "I have faith that things will continue to do so."

Korra grinned. "You bet it will! I'm going to be a great airbender in no time!"

Senna laughed. Deciding that the laundry could wait a few minutes, she walked over to them, waving at her daughter. "Mind if I watch?"

"Not at all," Tenzin said.

Korra shook her head. "Dad was here just a minute ago, said he'll be right back to watch more too."

"Sounds great." Senna ran a hand lightly over Korra's hair. "We'll be cheering for you."

They settled a few feet away, around a large circular depression in the ground, on which was painted the symbol of airbending. Korra and Tenzin stood in the middle of the circle, while Senna and the children sat on the outskirts.

Senna watched eagerly. Apart from wanting to support Korra, airbending was still almost mythic in some ways; she literally was standing there with the last living airbenders, and seeing it actively performed was always exciting. From what Korra told her, the lessons always started out with some meditation, then they would work with the spinning gates, and afterward they would practice with a method Tenzin's father had taught him. Tenzin had said that he'd been inspired by Korra's probending. "I'd forgotten about this," he'd admitted. "My father used to do it in the early days of airbending to try and make it fun. I was always happy with the more strict practices, but he did this to try and get my brother and sister involved in moving like an airbender, and to get me to act like the child I was."

From behind his back, Tenzin revealed an average sized ball. He stepped back a few paces, and Korra took a deep breath, settling into the more relaxed airbender stance. However, she was still far more stiff in it than Tenzin, or even the children.

"Remember Korra," Tenzin said, "Redirect the ball. Do not block it; do not send it at me until the moment is right. Move _with_ it."

"I know, I know," Korra grumbled. Senna fought a giggle, and saw Tonraq across the way, jogging over quickly so as to not miss the action.

"You go, Kor!" Tonraq called, and Korra laughed, while Tenzin looked slightly annoyed for a moment at their attitudes. Senna's hand found Tonraq's as he sat down beside her. In moments like this, it was almost easy to believe that everything with the White Lotus had just been a bad dream.

"Ready, Korra?" At her nod, Tenzin tossed the ball toward her.

Korra met it at her hands, twisting them around, the ball following up her arm and around her shoulders. She flicked her wrist and it went into the air enough for her to let it hit her chest and roll down her stomach to her foot, where she promptly flipped it up again. Tenzin was looking at her in approval, and the children seemed to be having a debate about how long she could keep it up this time.

She wasn't bending air yet, but as she moved her body began to relax, and gained a fluidity that Tenzin and the children naturally possessed. Like with a lot of bending, watching her move was almost like watching a dance, though Korra didn't always exemplify that image. A lot of her bending was very aggressive, so it always seemed like a battle, even when she wasn't fighting. Now, however, as she twirled and balanced the ball on her body, it was impossible to see it as anything but a dance.

"She's really doing great," Tonraq said quietly. He was watching her with a small smile on his face. Senna squeezed his hand and nodded. She noticed with slight surprise that there were tears in his eyes. "So many people think of flying and freedom in the same breath. Soon, she'll be able to do that, and I can't think of anyone better for it. Our girl," he said. "Our little Korra. She's strong and beautiful, and now, she can really be free."

Senna lightly turned his head toward her, and kissed him deeply. Sometimes she felt as if she were falling in love with him all over again, and she was constantly reminded of how good a man he was.

She ignored the chorus of gagging sounds and complaints from the children, but the noise jolted Korra out of her moment, and the ball fell to the ground.

"Hey!" Senna jumped, and looked over. Korra was glaring at the kids, her hands on her hips. "Can you guys keep it down? I'm trying to airbend here!"

"Daddy says that you should be able to airbend no matter what is going on," Ikki piped up, "But he still tells me to be quiet anyway!"

Senna giggled behind her hand, while Jinora gave a long-suffering sigh of an older sister, and dragged her younger siblings away. "You owe me," she called back at Korra, who looked both grateful and sheepish.

"You did very well, Korra." Tenzin smiled, and with a swooping motion of his arms, airbended the ball back into his palm. "Before we go on, I wanted to ask you how meditating before you go to sleep has been working."

"Oh." Korra rubbed the back of her neck. "Um. I don't know if I'm really meditating or not. I think I may just be falling asleep."

Tenzin raised an eyebrow. "I see. Well, at least-"

"Oh, wait!" Korra cut across him. "I just remembered! I keep having these really strange dreams."

"Really?" Tenzin lowered his arm, and let the ball fall to the ground. "What sort of dreams?"

Senna raised her eyebrows, curious.

"Well," Korra hesitated. "I don't really remember them too well. It's like I just get these brief moments of pictures and sound, almost like flipping really fast through pages in a book. But I've seen Avatar Aang in them."

Senna and Tonraq glanced at each other, frowning a little. Even though Korra was still cheerful, there was always something off about how she would say Avatar Aang's name.

"Really?" Tenzin held his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm. Perhaps as we have been working on your airbending, you have slowly started to unlock your spiritual side. These dreams could be evidence of that. Please let me know if you remember more, and if they keep happening."

"Will do." Korra paused. "Do you really think it means I'm getting close to being able to contact the spirits, or my past lives?" She spoke almost shyly.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Korra," Tenzin cautioned. "It is a good sign, but it's a little too early to tell exactly what is going on." At her slightly downcast look, he added, "But it is very possible all the same." She brightened a little.

"In any case, thank you for telling me about these. Are you ready to continue?"

Korra resumed her stance again, and Tenzin once more tossed the ball.

"They're good for each other, you know."

Senna and Tonraq jumped, and turned around. Pema was standing there, one hand on her hip, the other on her swollen stomach. She smiled. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I understand getting engrossed in watching your kids."

Senna nodded, and looked back at Korra and Tenzin, who hadn't seemed to notice them talking.

"I just meant that I think being around each other is helpful to them both. Not to sound too prideful, but Tenzin is just the kind of teacher Korra needs."

"And Korra is the kind of student he needs," Tonraq added.

Pema nodded. "Exactly. Our own kids can be a handful for him, but that has more to do with their energy than anything else. I think Korra is teaching him a different kind of patience. I know that they'll be able to help each other." She smiled fondly at both of them, her eyes very soft.

Senna looked at her husband, Tenzin, and then her daughter, and couldn't help but agree.

(~-~-~-~-~-~-~)

Bolin peered anxiously over the side of the ferry, running his hand through his hair and adjusting his shirt in his rippling reflection on the water.

Mako snorted. "Bo, you look fine. Stop fidgeting."

"I just want to look good!" He ran a hand through his hair again. "Mako, we're having dinner with her _family_! I want to make a good impression!"

"I know, I know." Mako sounded both amused and exasperated. "So you keep saying. That's why you dragged us out to get flowers for both Korra's mom, and her teacher's wife."

"Well I can't get flowers for Korra yet! That is strictly saved for a first date," Bolin countered.

Mako chuckled, but then grabbed his hand again as it made to do another pass through his hair. "Seriously, Bo, you're making me nervous."

"Fine, fine." Bolin stepped away from the water. The ferry was moving now anyway. He knew that it wasn't a fancy occasion, but he'd still decided to wear one of his nicer shirts. It actually had buttons down the middle!

Tonight was special, though. It was the first time he would be exchanging more than a few words with her parents. He knew that Korra was very close to them, so a good impression was key.

Korra hadn't told them too much about her life before she moved to Republic City, but they hadn't told her much about their life before they met her either. Bolin supposed that was fair. He wanted to know everything about her, and share everything with her in return. He'd only known her for a little over a month, and already it felt like she was just a part of his life, important and immovable. She was funny and smart, talented, strong, beautiful, stubborn, confident, and nice. She always was ready to make jokes with him or have a sparring match. She loved Pabu, and they had the same favorite foods.

Mako teased him about being smitten, but it didn't bother Bolin. It was true. How could he _not_ be smitten with Korra?

"I'm just really excited!" Bolin burst out, and Mako laughed.

"I know you are. I'm looking forward this too. Korra's nice." He lifted up a hand as Bolin opened his mouth. "And don't you go listing the millions of reasons how she is more than just nice, okay? I've heard it several times now."

Bolin grinned, a little embarrassed. "I can't help it, Mako. She's just so-"

"I _know_." Mako cut across him again, this time smiling fondly.

For a little while, they just watched the waves. It was getting a little darker, and they would be at Air Temple Island in a few minutes.

Mako didn't go to lunch with him and Korra very often. Bolin knew that it wasn't because Mako didn't like Korra; being on the team with her had made Mako like her very much, he knew. But even when there were no scheduled practices, Mako liked to prepare for matches. He would spend hours working on his bending, or strategy, or else looking around for places to get just a little extra cash, just in case. He was glad that Mako had decided for them to go to Korra's for dinner. He needed to have more fun. Bolin hoped that being friends with Korra would help Mako have more fun. Korra was one of the most fun people he knew, so if anyone could help, she could.

Her family was nice. He didn't know too many whole families. Where they'd grown up, it had mostly been orphans, and thinking about sitting down with not one but two whole families had him a little nervous too. He was used to eating around Mako. Were there any particular manners he needed to know? The flowers he thought would be good, but what about dinner itself?

"Hey, Mako."

"Yeah, Bo?"

"It…it will be nice, eating dinner with two whole families like that."

Mako was quiet for a moment. "I think so, too."

Bolin gave a small laugh, his chest feeling tight. "I don't really remember what its like to eat with a whole family."

Again, for a while Mako was silent. Then he put his hand on Bolin's shoulder. "Its one of the best things in the world," he said finally. He looked down at the bouquets in their hands. "It was good thinking, getting them flowers."

"Really?" Bolin felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest, and Mako nodded.

"Great! I knew it!" He pumped his fist, a few petals falling off of the flowers in his hand.

"Bo, be careful," Mako admonished.

"Right, right." Bolin lowered his arm. It would be nice to eat with two whole families, but Bolin also thought it would be strange. It had just been him and Mako for so long. Mako was his family. They weren't a _whole_ family, but Bolin thought that they were whole together.

Air Temple Island continued to move closer, and Bolin found himself rocking back and forth on his heels, eager to reach the island, and Korra.

As they approached the shore, he saw something big and white on the docks, another shape leaning up against it. _That must be Naga!_ Korra described Naga almost nonstop to him. She was her best friend, just like how Pabu was his best friend.

"Hey!" He called as they approached. Korra- the shape leaning against Naga – stood up and waved. Bolin waved back, careful to not jostle the flowers too much. As the ferry docked, Korra jogged toward them, grinning. "I'm so glad you guys came," she said, stopping short in front of them.

The giant polar bear-dog lumbered toward them, and Korra stepped aside. "Guys, this is Naga." She patted Naga's head.

Naga looked at them for a moment, and then gave a sort of _whuff_ sound, seemingly in approval. Pabu scurried down from his shoulder and stood in front of Naga. Naga leaned down toward him, just as Pabu extended his neck toward her. Their noses touched, and Pabu climbed easily up her shoulders and back, chattering excitedly.

Bolin chuckled. "Looks like those two are friends already."

Korra smiled back. "Looks like it." She saw the flowers in her hands. "Uh, what are the flowers for?" Her eyes darted toward Mako for a moment, and then away.

"For your mom. And your airbending teacher's wife," Bolin said proudly.

Korra blinked, but then smiled again. "That's nice of you guys."

Mako shrugged. "It was Bo's idea, really."

"Well, come on," Korra gestured for them to follow her. "The main compound is just this way."

Air Temple Island was bigger than it looked from Republic City. The houses were small, but cozy looking. There were several lights on in the buildings, and he could see people dressed in yellow and orange robes milling about inside a few of them.

Korra eagerly pointed out some of the places as they walked along. "There's where I do most of my training," she said, pointing toward an area they couldn't quite see. "There's these spinning gates you have to try to avoid, and an area where we meditate. Oh, and over that way is the cave where the flying Bison stay-"

"_Flying Bison?!"_ Bolin and Mako said together, looking at her. She grinned, but before she could say anything else, they arrived at what looked to be the main building, a tall man that Bolin recognized as her airbending teacher was standing outside of it, seeming to be trying to get two children around him to calm down. He was dressed in the same yellow and orange robes he'd seen earlier, and had a long, pointed, beard.

"Now, really, Ikki," Tenzin said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Please come inside and wash up for dinner."

"Buuuuuut daaaaaady," A girl, her hair in buns on the sides of her head, whined. "We were going to go gliding around the island!"

Meanwhile, the youngest, a boy with a shaved head, waved his arms. "And no washing! I will never wash again!"

At this, the other two turned to look at him with some fear at this idea.

Tenzin shook himself out of it as they walked closer. "Ikki, Meelo, get inside and wash your hands, and sit down for dinner. _Now_."

The children grumbled, but raced inside, ignoring Tenzin's shouts of "don't run in the house!" With a sigh, he turned around and faced Korra, relaxing a little. "Hello Korra."

"Hey, Tenzin." She smiled, and Bolin felt his heart flutter a little. Every time she smiled he felt as though he was falling for her a little bit more. Dancing with her earlier had certainly done that. "This is Mako and Bolin. My friends," she seemed to add.

"Mako, Bolin. We've only met briefly before, but it's nice to get a chance to really talk with you both." He shook both of their hands, looking curiously at the flowers.

"They're, uh, for your wife and Korra's mom," Bolin explained, flushing a little.

Tenzin looked surprised, but then smiled a little. "That is very kind of both of you. Come on inside." He turned, and they followed behind him.

"You have a very nice, um, island," Bolin offered as they walked in.

Tenzin raised an eyebrow, and then smiled a little. "We do rather enjoy it, yes. Its one of the last places in the world that the airbending culture survives. It was one of my father's many accomplishments. He did not want his culture to die with him, or with me for that matter."

"Not all of the people living here are airbenders, though," Mako said, eyeing a few people in the same yellow and orange robes passing them by.

"Not at all. Only my children and myself remain. The other people on the island, besides my wife and Korra and her family, are acolytes. They study the airbending culture, and even live in a similar manner to airbending nomads. Even though they are not airbenders, they do help to carry on the culture."

"So, do they wear tattoos too?" Bolin asked. "What do your tattoos mean anyway, sir?" They walked down a hall and into a sort of living room, where a long table was set. There were no chairs; instead there were pillows on the floor for them to sit on. A young girl was already sitting on one of them. She was reading a book, and looked up when they entered, giving a slight wave.

Tenzin looked back at him, shaking his head. "The airbending tattoos are awarded to those who reach master airbending status. They run along your body, and follow the chi within it. The acolytes do carry on the traditions, but they do not follow with that honor, as they are not airbenders." He looked at Korra and smiled. "If Korra wishes, she will have the opportunity to get such tattoos herself."

"That's awesome!" Bolin looked at Korra, grinning. Korra smiled back, but it seemed subdued, somehow, and she looked away after a moment. He frowned, and opened his mouth to ask if she was okay, but a moment later a pregnant woman came out of the kitchen, followed by Korra's parents and the children he had seen earlier. Korra immediately brightened at the sight of them.

After introductions, they were seated around the table, passing food around. There were more vegetables and fruits than anything else, though there was some meat as well. Bolin noticed that Tenzin and the children did not eat any meat, but Korra and her family helped themselves to it.

Pema, Tenzin's wife, and smiled brightly at the flowers, as had Senna, Korra's mom. Said flowers were in vases a little ways down the table, so as to not block anyone's view of the other.

Senna was nice. Sweet, a little soft-spoken, and warm. She and Korra had the same eyes, and a very similar smile as well. Tonraq was big, as tall as Tenzin and twice as wide (and the width was pure muscle at that), but also seemed fun, supportive of Korra, and cheerful. Throughout the dinner, Senna and Tonraq would often hold hands, or give the other a quick kiss on the cheek. Bolin knew it would have bothered some people (and the children definitely made noise whenever they noticed them doing it) but it made him smile. It was clear they loved each other very much.

Pema was also kind. She was firm with her children, and her husband, but did everything she could to make sure everyone was comfortable, made good-natured jokes about her pregnancy, and she smiled a lot. Tenzin was dry, and seemed a bit strict, but also understanding and patient, though that patience was stretched thin with his children.

His children were nothing but fun. Jinora was the oldest, a girl around ten or so. She was quiet, and had a book with her at the table, but still often jumped in the conversation with a comment that usually struck more powerfully than her sister Ikki's chatter. And boy, did Ikki talk. Now he understood what Korra meant when she compared him to her, but he couldn't hold a candle to this girl. She practically bounced on her pillow while she talked. Meelo was loud, talked almost as much as Ikki, and full of energy. He airbended the soup bowl to his mother, accidentally splattering her face (and his father's face) with it in the process.

As dinner went on, Bolin found himself looking at Korra. Hell, he always found himself looking at Korra. He watched as she fed extra food to Pabu. As she smiled, listening to the people around her talk. How she looked when she interjected with her opinion. And, strangely, a sort of…_flicker_…on her face, whenever Avatar Aang was mentioned.

Bolin felt himself relax. All of them were so…happy and full, that he couldn't help but be swept up with them. His dinners with Mako were certainly never this animated or busy, and even though he wouldn't trade them for the world, he found himself hoping that in the future he would have dinners with family like this one.

Mako relaxed too. Bolin noticed it in the way Mako's replies became fuller, how he smiled, the way his shoulders seemed to soften. Mako was always hesitant around people at first, but once he put away that hesitancy, Bolin knew he was one of the most loyal people you could know.

"So, Mako, Bolin," Senna looked at them, smiling softly. "What inspired you to get into probending? Tonraq and I have only been watching for a little while, but already we're getting to be pretty big fans."

"Well-" Bolin began, glancing at his brother, but Mako cut across him.

"We've always loved hearing about the matches," Mako said calmly. "We would always get so excited hearing them, so when the arena was looking for new teams, it seemed like a great opportunity to live out our dreams."

Bolin frowned for a moment. Mako wasn't lying exactly, but there'd been a lot more to entering probending than that. Mako glanced at him, and shook his head slightly. After a moment, Bo understood. Mako wasn't completely against sharing these things with Korra now, but he didn't want to talk about them during dinner with her family, and other people that he didn't know very well.

"Now we have adoring fans, and we get to use our bending in a way that's for more than self-defense," Bolin added.

"I'll admit I wasn't too…pleased with probending originally," Tenzin said, dabbing at his mouth with a napkin. "However, now I find some enjoyment in it, and I am pleased that so many people in Republic City gather to enjoy it. It seems to indicate that perhaps the enmity between benders and non-benders is not as bas as it could be."

"I've heard a little about that," Mako said, setting his fork down. "Something called 'The Equalists', right?"

Tenzin nodded gravely. "The council has been debating about it for some time."

"The equalists…" Korra mumbled. Then she struck her fist on the table. "Oh! I know that name! I saw a person in the park talking about them. He said that he wanted to 'tear down the bending establishment' or something."

For a moment, there was silence. "Why don't they like benders, daddy?" Ikki asked.

Tenzin paused, and Bolin wondered if maybe he wished they weren't talking about this with his children around. Still, he answered. "Well, Ikki, they feel like they are being oppressed, because they can't bend. They feel like they're considered to not be as good as benders," he added at her look of confusion.

"Benders are usually sort of revered in society," Jinora said quietly. "A lot of the culture revolves around it. I guess…" She hesitated. "I guess that benders probably get special treatment sometimes."

"But bending is amazing," Korra said softly. She was looking at her hands. "I don't- we're not trying to oppress anyone…"

"I know." Tonraq said, watching his daughter. He put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know everything about what is going on here, but the fact remains that we do have power, Kor. It's a power that they don't have. Because we have that power, we often do get special treatment, and it isn't fair to them."

"But- but it doesn't make sense!" Korra hit her fists on the table. "Bending is wonderful! These- these Equalists don't know what they're talking about!" She scowled at the name.

"Korra," Senna said quietly, a small, motherly, warning that even Bolin could recognize.

"Its…kind of like the divide between the rich and poor," Mako said slowly. He looked surprised for a moment, as if he hadn't meant to speak out loud.

Tenzin nodded at him. "Indeed it is."

She looked at her hands again. "That's the kind of thing that the Avatar should handle. I mean, that's what the Avatar does, right? The Avatar brings balance to the world."

She didn't look happy, like she had other times, when she talked about being the Avatar. If anything, she looked…scared. Bolin was struck with the urge to hug her, or to reach across the table and hold her hand.

"Its not all on you, though," he said instead, and she looked up at him, startled. "I mean, you are the Avatar, but, we have the council. And its not something that can just go away, right? Everyone needs to work on it, to make it better, not just you."

For a moment, Bolin thought that Korra might cry, but instead she smiled at him, her eyes so _blue_ and deep, and he could have sworn that his heart stopped at the sight.

"You are quite right," Tenzin said. "If we want people to be treated equally, it is day by day. We all need to work hard for it to happen. I have faith that it can happen."

"Me too," Pema said, reaching over and holding his hand.

Mako was staring at his food, his eyebrows furrowed. Senna and Tonraq were watching Korra, who in turn was looking at her hands again. The children were quiet, and Bolin's mind raced, wishing that he could think of something, _anything_, to say.

"So, what's the South Pole like?" He blurted. Everyone looked at him for a moment, and he flushed. "Um, cold, I'd guess?"

Korra laughed, and he immediately relaxed. "Yeah," she said, smiling now. "Its _really_ cold."

The rest of the evening passed cheerfully, with Korra telling them stories of how she raised Naga, and Tonraq coming in with a hunting tale when he had been caught in a blizzard. They laughed, and didn't talk about divides, or poverty, or oppression, or being the Avatar.

Bolin smiled, watching them all, reveling in the warmth that now, as he sat there, he could half remember in hazy memories of when he'd had dinners like this waiting for him and his brother every night.

He looked forward to getting to know Korra, and these people, and maybe more dinners like this, in the future.

* * *

Alright, now time for reviews!

Limelavender: Thank you so much! I feel like LoK had a lot of potential, but it ended up being wasted. I'm noticing that a lot of these little changes are making a big difference.

Farseer Lolotea: Yes! Its part of what inspired this whole fanfiction, so I had to do it. She's credited in the first chapter and everything. :) Its a very good rant.

kriitikko: Thank you very much! :)

DeathscytheVII: Thank you very much! I'd never written Bolin's POV before, so I was a bit worried about that, but I think it turned out well. Also, the revelation will be next, and it will be told in a somewhat...different...manner. :)

PurpleFlyingToasters: Well, not exactly 'soon', but I did update!

Jokermask18: Thank you! I'm definitely not abandoning this story. :)

John Rockefeller III: Thank you. Well, I do the best I can with the updates. Real life often gets in the way, and ultimately I want to focus on editing my novel and getting it published.

Kelev: Yes, there's a lot of things in Korra that could have been great, if only they had been more fleshed out. One of the things I'm really going to focus on is the way the non-benders are treated, as well as some repercussions Korra has to face for some actions she takes. Thank you! Glad you like it. :)

LoneGreyWolf: Thank you! Wow, that's quite a compliment! Yes, I think this filer chapter still turned out well.

Thanks so much for all of the reviews! I hope you all enjoy the chapter. See you next time. :)


	5. The Revelation

Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter took so long. In addition to many other things I got married, so I've been very busy.

Anyway, I worked very hard on this chapter, and I hope that (despite going over information we already know) everyone enjoys it.

Beta-ed by TaIoRaFoReVeR523.

* * *

Chapter Five

The Revelation

Pema set a cup of tea at his side, and settled, with some difficulty, across the table, onto the cushion on the floor.

"Please," Tenzin said from beside her. He looked from Korra to Mako. "Tell us what happened."

Mako glanced at Korra. She was staring at her hands, which were trembling slightly. She folded them to hide it, and then looked up at him. Korra didn't seem sure how to begin- or maybe she didn't _want_ to. Her parents sat on either side of her, and he fought to not feel jealous. She had parents to come home to.

He shook it off. Bolin sat at his side, elbows on the table. He hadn't said much on the way back- Bolin had simply hugged him and Korra, thanked them for saving him.

"Spit it out," Chief Bei Fong barked roughly, scowling. She was standing at the end of the table, and had been called over because Mako did not feel like telling this story more times than he had to.

Mako's hand tightened around the teacup, and he glared back, but began. "I came home from work, but Bolin wasn't there. I thought that he might have been visiting Korra, so I came over to check." Now that Bo was here – _safe, praise the spirits, his little brother was here and safe_ – it was easier to think about, and feel again, the amusement he'd had as he'd come to the island. Bolin spent just about every free moment with Korra, but she didn't seem to have a clue that he was smitten. Then again, after being with her today, he wasn't surprised anymore. For all of her brashness, she was still incredibly naive.

"I told Korra that Bo was missing, and she wanted to help me look for him." Mako looked across the way at his brother.

Bo smiled shakily. "Sorry," he said, and his voice had a slight rasp. He cleared it. "Sorry," he repeated. "I shouldn't have trusted Shin-"

"I _told_ you I had it under control, Bo." A million thoughts had flashed though him- Bolin, dead like their parents, tortured, starving, _alone_. "You should have just waited for me-"

"Sorry," Bolin said again, much more softly.

"You were just trying to help," Korra interjected. He looked up at her and gave a small smile.

"No one is faulting Bolin for this," Tenzin said, holding up a hand. "But, please, we need to know everything about what happened."

"Keep talking," the chief insisted severely. "We need all the information we can get."

Korra glared at her, frowning. The chief glared back, and for a moment they stared at each other, willing the other to look away. Finally they both scowled and crossed their arms. Korra looked at Mako again, a little calmer. "Well, Mako asked a bunch of kids if they'd seen Bolin, and one of them said that he'd seen Bo walking with Shady Shin."

Mako almost snorted, remembering the look on Korra's face when he'd paid Skoochy to tell him about Bolin. She'd been shocked that there were children on the streets, let alone that he would pay such a child for information. What kind of sheltered life had she been living?

"We used to run numbers for the Triads," Bolin mumbled. "When we were-"

Mako looked at him sharply. He hadn't wanted to tell Tenzin and Korra's parents about things like that yet. Bolin seemed to sense his gaze and stopped mid-sentence, still looking at his hands.

"We went to the Triad's hideout," Mako continued as if Bo hadn't said anything. "They don't change location too often, but the Equalists were already there. They were shoving the Triads and Bo into the back of a truck-" He stopped, his throat working convulsively, fighting against the images- Bo's eyes wide, terrified, silently begging for Mako to save him, screaming, _help mommy daddy where are you, Mako what's happening?!_

He closed his eyes tightly, and forced it down, forced away Bolin's screaming voice, their bodies, his brother bound and gagged, electrocuted, because he was safe now, _safe_, and Mako wouldn't let anything happen to him again.

He opened his eyes, and the others were staring at him, Korra and Bo included. Korra looked as if she had a faint idea of what was on his mind, but Bo- his face had always been too easy to read, and Mako could see that he knew it completely.

"We don't have time for this," the chief insisted impatiently. "If these people are kidnapping citizens, there's no reason to believe they'd stop with the ones tonight."

Mako forced himself to go on, to focus on the kind faces of the family around him, and the truth in the chief's words. "The Equalists drove away. We chased after them, but some of them stayed behind to keep us from following." He snorted, ashamed of his own weakness. "They made short work of us." He met Tenzin's eyes. "They've been taught Chi-blocking."

Tenzin's eyebrows furrowed, and he exchanged glances with the chief. "Indeed. Go on, Mako."

"Tenzin," Korra broke in, as if she couldn't hold back any longer. "They stopped my – our – bending! I didn't know they could do that! How-"

"It focuses on the flow of energy in the body, and blocks those specific points through pressure and movement," Tenzin said. "It's been around for quite some time. My mother knew a girl during the war that was an expert at it, and she in turn taught it to the Kyoshi warriors. Its spread even further since, but more on that later." Tenzin focused on Mako again, and Korra frowned petulantly, wanting to know how they could possibly take away her bending, even if only for a little while. After all, perhaps that was how Amon…

Mako nodded, and went on. He said that Korra mentioned that she'd seen someone handing out fliers at the park about the Equalists, so they went there to wait for the protester, and fell asleep. In the morning, the protestor had been there, and Korra-

Here he hesitated again, and glanced at Korra, though she didn't seem to understand or notice.

She'd attacked the protester. She'd held him up and threatened him, shoved him to the ground, and Mako had seen too many people doing that to starving kids on the streets, people like the Triads, and Korra was the Avatar. More than that, she was his friend now, and seeing her do that- scaring that man when they had no way of knowing if he knew about Bolin, or what Amon could do…

Mako knew there was little limit to what he would do to save Bolin. If that man had kidnapped him, hurt him, Mako would have been first in line to hurt him back, damn the consequences or the law, but he didn't argue that it would have been right.

Looking at Korra then- the rush of challenge, the anger, _power_ so clearly coiled within her – scaring a citizen to get what she wanted. That definitely wasn't right either, but Korra thought that it was.

His hesitation lasted only a moment, and he said: "We managed to pick up some of his scattered flyers, and noticed that there were strange shapes on the back- like a map. We compared it to a larger city map, and we found the Equalists' base."

Korra didn't seem to notice his omission, and he continued. "The flyer was an invitation too. We managed to get in, and hid in the crowd. Then, they pulled the captives up on the stage-" and here his anger did get the best of him, his fingers clenching on his knees as he watched the masked men drag the people on the stage while the crowd cheered.

"And Amon came forward." He went on quickly before Tenzin or Chief Bei Fong could ask anything. "He kept his mask on the whole time, so I don't know what he looks like. He said that when he was young, a firebender killed his family and burned his face. He said that the spirits were angry at how the benders were ruling over the other people- so they had given him special abilities."

Korra wasn't looking at anyone, staring at the table. Her hands were shaking. Her parents noticed, and put their hands over her own. Bolin noticed too, and looked at her with concern overshadowing his shame and exhaustion.

Mako took a slight breath, remembering how the crowd had stilled, how Korra- _Korra_, of all people- had shrunk back seeing what Amon could do. The fear that had shivered its way across his own body. "Amon grabbed Lightning Bolt Zolt, and had him be untied. Zolt tried to fight but Amon- it was like he could see everything he was about to do and he just-" Mako shook his head, still half unable to believe it. "He got behind him, and put his thumb on Zolt's forehead, and Zolt couldn't move, and then he collapsed, and Amon said that he had taken away his bending- permanently."

For a moment, everyone was silent.

"That's impossible," Senna breathed, her eyes wide, glancing at her husband and then her daughter as if for confirmation. Korra seemed determined to look at the table, scratching a little at its surface.

"Tenzin, you're the expert of the spiritual," the Chief said, leaning forward a little. What do you know about this? All I know is what I heard about Avatar Aang and Yakone-"

"I- I don't believe it," Tenzin said, as if to himself, running a hand over his face. "The Avatar is the only one that has ever been able to do that, Lin." Almost absently, he held his wife's hand tightly, as Pema looked as though she had no idea of what to say. Tenzin looked up again, looking at Korra this time. "Korra, how is this-"

"I saw it, Tenzin." She looked up at him unwillingly, her voice eerily calm. "Zolt stood up and tried to fight, but his bending wouldn't work. Amon said that he was going to do it to everyone."

"To make everyone equal," Pema murmured.

Mako nodded. "He dragged Bo up on the stage, and Korra and I made a distraction. Korra burst a steam pipe so people couldn't see, and I got Bolin off of that stage. From there, we just had to get past the Equalists, and as far away from them as possible."

"What can you tell me about their weapons, besides the Chi-blocking?" Chief Bei Fong asked, almost speaking on top of him.

"They have a lot of technology I've never even heard of, let alone the weapons. They had sticks that acted a lot like lightning bending- Bo and I got hit with those pretty hard. I didn't get a good look at too much else."

The chief looked a little disappointed, and then thought for a moment. "Could one of you tell me where the hideout was?"

Mako nodded, and Korra did a moment later.

"They won't have stayed there," the chief said to herself, "But there still might be something left over that could be useful." She stood, and nodded to them all, seeming to do it to Korra as an afterthought. "I may question all of you again, but for now, rest up."

She turned to Tenzin. "Think you could get me into contact with some of those Kyoshi warriors? I need a better understanding of Chi-blocking, and if they could teach my non-bender officers, it would be a real advantage."

Tenzin nodded. "Of course."

"Good. I'd like a few more words with you as well." She looked back at them, and for a moment she seemed to be just a little less severe. "Get that one to bed," she said, nodding to Bolin. "You've seen a lot, and been through the ringer today. Rest up, because you may not get any here soon," She added darkly. She began to walk toward the hall, Tenzin in tow, before she looked back at Korra, and gave one last nod.

"Avatar," she said coolly.

"Chief," Korra said back, just as icy.

The Chief snorted, and rounded the corner, Tenzin on her heels.

Pema patted his arm softly. "If you boys don't want to take the ferry so late, you are more than welcome to stay here," she offered. "We have plenty of room."

Mako smiled a little at her. Her face then- concerned, but warm and sincere – reminded him of another face, from long ago. "Thank you, but, Bo and I just want to go home."

She nodded. "Of course. I'll go make sure the ferryman will be here soon." With some difficulty she stood, and went through another door across the way.

Mako stood too, and Bolin followed suit, still a little hunched over.

"Korra," Mako said.

The Avatar- his teammate, his friend- looked up at him. "Yeah?"

He smiled just a little. "Thanks. For everything."

She smiled back, and nodded. "Stay safe," she said, her eyes lingering on Bo. "I'll see you guys at practice soon, okay?"

Bolin brightened a little, and nodded vigorously. "Sure thing, Korra!" Before she could say anything, he walked around the table, and leaned down between Korra and her mother, giving her a quick hug that she returned, seeming to relax a little.

After nodding to Senna and Tonraq, they made their way outside. Mako put his arm across Bo's shoulders, still half unable to believe it. Bo was here, safe.

"Let's go home."

(-~-~-~-~-~-)

Lin stopped short not long after they entered the hallway. She turned to face him.

"What is it, Lin?" Tenzin asked. Though things were often strained between them, he valued her opinion over almost all others.

"These Equalists aren't an equal-rights group anymore." She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "This is about to get complicated, politically." She shook herself and spoke to Tenzin again more sharply. "I want to address the council meeting tomorrow, and discuss some new measures I want to implement. If we're not careful, we'll get people feeling us taking action against the Equalists means that we do want to persecute non-benders."

Tenzin nodded. "The council will not be easy to convince. Tarrlok in particular has been trying to push some legislation through that could restrict the activities of all non-benders."

Lin snorted. "Tarrlok's not going to solve anything that way, the idiot."

Tenzin arched a brow. "Indeed." He thought for a moment. "I'm not sure what could possibly give Amon the ability to take someone's bending away. As far as I am aware, only the Avatar has ever been able to do that."

"Do you think its possible he did come into contact with a spirit?" Lin folded her arms, looking skeptical even as she spoke.

"Perhaps. Zuko's Uncle Iroh once traveled through the Spirit world, so I suppose it is not impossible that this man did the same, and came across some malevolent spirit."

She shook her head. "Hmph. I'd more likely believe that he's doing something related to chi-blocking. Still, this changes everything, Tenzin. He's kidnapping citizens, and he's taking their bending. Amon needs to be taken down."

"I agree." He was silent for a moment. "You know, after the Hundred Years War, many Firebenders were attacked, for no reason other than that they were Firebenders. I'm worried that we're going to give people the impression that non-benders are the enemy. The fact is that they don't have equal rights, Lin, and that is something that needs to change."

"I know that, Tenzin." Lin said, slightly sharp. "Many of my officers are non-benders. Don't think it hasn't escaped my notice that they can't carry the same rank as the metal benders. That there isn't a non-bender on the council."

"Look at Pro-bending," Tenzin added, almost to himself. "The very definition of it prohibits anyone who can't bend. It isn't right." He sighed. "But the more immediate issue is Amon. You are right. He cannot be allowed to kidnap citizens. We just have to try and handle this carefully."

"No shit."

He almost laughed. Lin was just like her mother in so many ways, and they both shared the same crassness, and the same foul mouth.

She looked like she almost smiled too, and then she frowned again, staring past him. "Things are going to get difficult Tenzin. There's a hard road ahead." She looked at him again. "I hope the Avatar is ready for it."

She nodded to him as a goodbye, and then left.

"So do I," Tenzin said softly. "So do I."

(~-~-~-~-~-~)

Mako stepped forward, adjusting his scarf. With the money from working at the generator the other day, he had enough money to buy some more groceries, and they desperately needed some more food.

The trolley across the street was getting ready to leave, and he quickly jogged out into the street so he could catch it-

Tires squealed against the road, and he barely had time to turn his head and get a faint impression of a scooter heading toward him before – _WHAM_.

He fell backward, elbows scraping on the street, rolling a little, wind knocked out of him. He shook his head feeling slightly dizzy.

Faintly, he noticed the scooter's occupant stopping and climbing off. "Oh no! I'm so, so sorry! I didn't see you!" Her voice was muffled, and she reached out to help him to his feet.

Dizzyness gone, he practically shoved her away. "How could you not see me?" He demanded furiously, as she started to take off her helmet. "I mean, I was ju-"

His voice cut off as she took off her helmet and shook out a length of tumbling black hair. Her eyes- a light green- met his and he suddenly felt dizzy again. She was _gorgeous_.

He stuttered. "Ju-ju-I was-wow, uh, um." He coughed.

She didn't seem to notice, rushing forward again to get a look at his arm. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" She asked worriedly, pulling him to his feet. Despite her delicate appearance, she was pretty strong.

His heart hammered in his chest. She was- wow. He fought to find his voice. "No, uh, I'm fine!" He dusted himself off a little, feeling more in control of his voice. "My brother hits me harder than that at practice every day!"

Her face seemed to light up, and his heart hammered so loudly he almost didn't hear her. "Oh, I recognize you! You're Mako, from the Fire Ferrets! You guys are my favorite team!"

Mako stood a little taller. "Yeah, that's me!" He'd never been so happy to be a pro-bender before.

She ran a hand over her face, laughing a little. "Oh, I am _so_ embarrassed." She looked up at him again and smiled brightly, offering her hand to shake. "I'm Asami. Let me make this up to you somehow. How about I take you out to dinner? Tomorrow night, eight o'clock? Kuang's Cuisine."

"Oh." Mako rubbed the back of his neck, deflating a little. "I- uh, don't really have anything to wear to a place that classy."

Asami waved an airy hand, smiling again. He tried not to stare too much, feeling himself smiling as well. "I'll take care of that," she promised. She slipped on her goggles. "So, it's a date?"

Mako nodded, his head bobbing a little too much. "Sure! Yeah!"

Asami righted her scooter and slid on. "Great! See you tomorrow night!" She waved, and then carefully went around him, speeding off.

"Yeah," Mako echoed breathlessly. "Tomorrow night…"

(~-~-~-~-~-~)

Korra tapped her fingers on the table, staring out the window, only catching every other word Tenzin was saying.

Airbending practice was getting better, but in other areas of her training with Tenzin, she very often felt bored and angry. Tenzin had mentioned that he would have to teach her about the law, but she hadn't thought it would be so thorough. And long. And boring.

Some of it she already half knew, such as how Republic City was founded after the Hundred Years War, thanks to Avatar Aang, bloodbending being officially outlawed, and so on.

She fought a sigh. How could Tenzin _still_ be going on? She could have sworn that she had been sitting there for hours!

"I don't understand why I have to learn all of this, Tenzin." Korra muttered mutinously.

Tenzin looked up from the book in his hand. "Do you want to get arrested again?" he asked dryly.

Korra rolled her eyes. "That's just it! I don't understand why I was arrested in the first place. I'm the _Avatar_, for crying out loud."

Tenzin looked at her, his eyebrow raised. "And that makes you better than everyone else, does it?"

Korra scowled. She was different from other people, so how could she expect to be held by the same laws? But his words made it sound bad, suddenly. "That's not-"

Tenzin cut across her. "Korra. You are the Avatar, but you are not above the law. You are a person, just like everyone else. If you follow along with that line of thought, there would be no limitations to what you could do-"

Korra stood up angrily. "Well, what's so wrong with that?! The Avatar has to do things other people can't! Like when we were looking for Bolin, and I had to interrogate that Equalist protestor-"

"Interr- "Tenzin's eyes widened. "Korra, what did you _do_?"

Suddenly, she couldn't speak. She'd never heard Tenzin use that tone of voice before. "I…I just threw him around a little. Tenzin, they'd kidnapped Bolin, I had to-"

"_Korra_!" Tenzin stood to his full height. "You attacked a citizen?!"

"He knew where Bolin was! He probably knew that Amon was capturing benders-"

"You don't know that for sure!" Tenzin stepped closer, aggressive, more than Korra had ever seen before, but she met him stare for stare, not backing down. "Korra, you can't just _attack_ people to get what you want!"

"I'm the Avatar!" Korra shouted. "Its my duty to-"

"To _what_?" Tenzin demanded. "To bully people? To abuse your power for your own needs?" His palm hit the table, and Korra growled.

"I'm not abusing my power," She insisted. "I have _every_ right-"

"No, Korra, you have _no_ right!" Tenzin shouted right back at her. "You want to know why you can't do things like that? You may be the Avatar, Korra, but you are still just a person, and you are no better than anyone else! You are not better than that man you attacked! Thinking that way- having nothing to pull you back, going around the laws just because it is what you want – that thinking is _exactly_ what started the Hundred Years War!"

"No!" Korra felt tears in her eyes suddenly, but she ignored them, fists clenching, blood pounding in her ears, in her whole body, and she practically spat her next words. "No, Tenzin, you're- you're just an old man living in his father's shadow-"

Tenzin didn't seem to hear her. "Is that what you want, Korra?! No stops, doing everything you want to do because you are the Avatar? Where will you draw the line? Or do you wish to be become judge, jury, and executioner all in one?"

_Executioner._

Korra froze, her eyes wide, half risen from the table.

"Is that what you _want_?" Tenzin demanded again, gesturing harshly, his robes swinging, and Korra jerked her head up at him. "Firelord Sozin, Firelord Ozai, they thought that because they had power others didn't that they could make the world how they wanted it to be, no matter who or what stood in their way! They burned villages and people! They killed all the Air Nomads and they _decimated_ the Southern Water Tribe! All because they thought they were better than everyone else! Is that what you want, Korra? Is that who you want to _be_?"

A million images passed in front of her eyes. _Flashflashflash._ The man's terror as she'd lifted him up. The people around her cheering as Amon took Zolt's bending away-

"I'M NOT!" Korra screamed, pounding her fists on the table. There was a moment of silence, and before Tenzin could say anything else, she ran from the room.

And kept running.

Half-formed thoughts flew through her mind. Keep running. _Go see Mako and Bolin. Hide at the stadium. Run back and scream at Tenzin, he didn't know what he was talking about, didn't-_

She was the Avatar! She brought balance and peace, and people loved her!

_Not those people with Amon the night before. _They had cheered when Zolt's bending was taken away, cheered when Amon said that the Avatar had failed them.

She kept running, until she reached the stables where Naga would usually take a nap around this time.

Naga looked up at her approach, giving a happy _whuff _sort of sound at seeing her, her tail wagging furiously. Korra crashed into Naga, wrapping her arms around her neck, burying her face in her fur.

"Naga," She hissed. "You won't believe what Tenzin just said. I mean he just- he-" She growled, clutching Naga tighter for a moment before releasing her and kicking at the straw on the floor.

"Korra?"

Korra jumped, and almost ran again. She whirled around to see her parents standing there, confused and worried, her mother's hand reaching out to her.

Tonraq's eyebrows drew together. "Korra, did something happen? What's wrong?"

She darted her eyes away. "Nothing, dad."

"Korra," He said seriously, in a tone that clearly stated he didn't believe her. "Tell me what's wrong." He put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him. "Come on Kor. You know you can tell me anything."

Senna was right next to him, her hand on Korra's arm. "Please, sweetheart. Tell us what happened."

Tenzin's voice played over again in her mind. Her fists clenched. What right did he have to say those things? She was the Avatar- she was the bringer of peace and balance, and he was just-

"Its Tenzin!" She burst out, furiously gesturing toward the ground, a little bit of fire escaping her fists.

She told them everything. How she had been at Tenzin's stupid lesson, how she'd tried to say she didn't need to learn what he was telling her, how he reacted to what she'd done to the protestor-

"Wait, you did what?" Senna gasped, eyes widening.

Korra huffed impatiently. "The Equalists are hurting people, mom! It's not right! I had to interrogate him, I _had_ to save Bolin!"

Her mother and father exchanged glances, but Korra hardly noticed, telling them all about how Tenzin had just blown up and accused her of wanting to be like Firelord Ozai, how he said that she was being foolish. Couldn't he understand that she'd had to get that information out of the protestor? What if something worse had happened to Bo? She _had_ to-

"Korra, _listen_!"

Korra stopped. Her father was staring at her, his eyes hard. Her mother was watching her also, with a look Korra had never seen before: disappointment.

It felt like a punch in the gut. Her parents were disappointed in her. Before she could say anything, Senna went on.

"Korra, what the Equalists are doing is not right. We're not saying that it is. But that doesn't make what you did right, either."

"Why not?!" Korra hit her fist on a post. Naga jumped a little, and then nuzzled her hand. "I'm the Avatar, and they were the bad guys! That's how it works!"

"Korra," Senna said softly. "Is your father better than me because he is a man?"

"What? No!" The idea was so absurd that for a moment her guilt and anger disappeared.

"Well, why not?" Senna asked patiently. "After all, he's stronger than I am. He can do all sorts of things I can't do, like bend water, and-"

"But that doesn't matter!" Korra insisted. "You're still-"

"A person," Senna finished.

Korra blinked, and then looked at her lap, shame filling her again. She tried to shake it off, letting her anger at Tenzin show through. "I never said they weren't people! Of course they're _people_, they're just-"

"Not as important as you?" Tonraq asked. Korra stopped, and looked away.

"Korra. I don't agree with Tenzin shouting at you like he did, but he was right. You're smart, you know it is true. The White Lotus told you every day how being the Avatar makes you better, but did you really think about it in terms of people, Kor?" He put his hand under her chin, tilting her head toward him. "Are you better than me? Than your mother? Than your friends, Bolin and Mako?"

"I…" Korra wanted to say no. But she thought of the White Lotus's words. How, when she had come to Republic City, she'd expected everything to be okay even though she smashed up buildings. How she'd imagined statues built in her honor. The man's fear as she'd pushed and grabbed him. She remembered Katara telling her about how her mother was killed by a firebender. In her mind, she saw a hundred images, some too fast to recognize. Some were blurry, others she knew from her dreams- images, of things Avatar Aang wanted her to see.

Places burning. People screaming. Skeletons. Fire.

She wanted to say that she didn't think she was better than everyone else, but she'd been acting as though she was. Thinking as though she was.

Her bending could be taken away just as Zolt's had. Just as Bolin's almost was.

She saw Amon's hand floating above her, and closed her eyes against the image. _No_. No. She couldn't let her bending get taken, without it- without being the Avatar- no, no she couldn't think about it, couldn't think about the fear.

She thought of the man she'd pushed, the fear in his eyes. Suddenly, his face changed to Bolin's. The exact same fear was in his green eyes.

In that moment, it was all too clear.

"We're no better than other people, sweetheart. Not the members of the Equalists, or anyone. And neither are you."

She still wanted to protest, somehow. She wanted to make herself feel better, even after she'd done those things, thought those things…

Korra felt their hands on her shoulders, and buried her head in her father's chest, tears leaking out of her eyes. "What can I do?" She gripped her arms tighter. "I was so _stupid_! I can't believe I- I-"

"Shhh, sweetheart," She felt her mother's arms wrap tightly around her. "You're thinking about it now, and that's what is important."

"As to what you can do," Tonraq added, his own warmth around her as well, "An apology's usually the way to go."

"Apologize?" Korra looked up. "But- he won't listen to me. He probably wants my bending to get taken away! And- and its probably too late to apologize now."

"You don't know that, Kor. And even if he doesn't respond to it, what matters is that you tried to make amends." Tonraq ran his hand down her hair. "And there's no time limit on apologies, you know."

"I guess," Korra said softly, ashamed to have been crying. She shouldn't have been showing weakness like that.

No wonder the people in the crowd of Equalists had cheered. She _had_ failed them as an Avatar. Not only could she not airbend, but she was hurting the people she was supposed to protect.

She thought of the fear in the man's eyes again. The fear in Bolin's eyes.

The White Lotus had said that people loved the Avatar, not feared them.

She'd done that. Put that fear in the man's eyes. Made him cower. Hurt him. No wonder Avatar Aang didn't want to talk to her.

Her fists clenched in her father's shirt. She was the Avatar. She had to get it right.

"Okay," she said, quietly. Then, louder, "Okay. I'll do it. I'll apologize to him."

She felt her mother's hand on her chin, tilting her face up. "That's good," Senna said sincerely. "But you have to remember this, Korra. Tenzin wants to teach you the law because its binds all people, yourself included. He wants to teach you the law so that you can help people. You can't help anyone if you fell as though you are better than they are." Senna kissed her forehead softly, and then pulled back. "One last thing."

"What?"

Senna smiled a little. "Korra, I'm proud of you."

"We both are," Tonraq added, his arms tightening around them.

"Wh- why?" Korra asked, bewildered.

"Because you've realized that you made a mistake, and you're going to try and make things right. Not everyone would do that Korra. It takes a lot of courage."

She felt herself smile a little. "Really?"

"Really."

They hugged her again, and Korra let herself be surrounded in their warmth, for a moment allowing all thoughts of failure and nervousness leave her mind.

(~-~-~-~-~-~)

He was in the park again.

Korra was a little ways away, sitting on Naga, her White Lotus guards around her. Now that Amon's abilities had been revealed, it had been decided it was even more important for her to have a guard with her in the city.

"You guys can wait here," she said, sliding off of Naga, who licked her affectionately as she passed. The guards looked like protesting, but she put her hands on her hips. "Seriously. I'll only be a few feet away. Feel free to come rushing in if he starts attacking!" Korra waved her hands in the air exasperatedly, her irritation a little muted. Despite her resolve, and what her parents had said, she was still nervous. Apologizing had never been her strong suit, and how could she apologize for something like _this_?

Reluctantly, the guards nodded, and waited with Naga. Korra took a deep breath, and marched toward the protester.

He was speaking loudly into his cupped hands, and she remembered flinchingly that she had smashed his megaphone. Did he not have money for a new one? She had flashes of memory of the homeless man she'd met her first day in the city, of the children who lived on the streets. She wondered suddenly how many were non-benders, if this man even had a home to go to.

"- benders want us to believe that we are equal, but we are not! With the Equalists, we will all truly be-" He stopped short at the sight of her.

For a moment, a flicker of fear crossed his face, and Korra felt as if her insides had frozen at the sight.

Then the man seemed to pull himself together, and he was shouting into his cupped hands again. "Look who it is! The head of the oppressors herself, the Avatar!"

The small crowd that had gathered turned to her accusingly, some of them already jeering, taunting.

"No, wait-!" Korra began, but the protestor cut across her.

"What are you going to do to us today, huh? I don't have a megaphone for your to smash!" He gestured to the crowd at large. "Its because of people like her that we are suffering! The Avatar and the Councilors turn a blind eye to non-benders, simply because we can't do what they can!"

"No!" Korra said, her voice a little higher than normal. "That's not-"

"We don't want you here, Avatar!" One of the crowd members called.

"Yeah, leave us alone!" Another added.

"The Avatar is supposed to bring peace," the protestor continued, "But does _this_ look like peace to you?!"

"No!" The crowd roared back, raising their fists to the air.

"Listen," Korra said, fighting her anger now. "I'm trying to-"

"Trying to what?" The protestor called back. "Trying to keep us in line?" He hopped down off of his podium. "Well, we won't stay in line! Its time to fight back!"

The crowd pressed in around her. She couldn't see the street anymore, or Naga and the White Lotus. The people around her shouted, booed, demanded that she leave, called her a disgrace, evil-

"I'M SORRY!" Korra burst out, eyes tightly closed, fists clenched, her foot stomping the ground, which cracked a little beneath her.

The people fell silent.

She opened her eyes to see them staring at her in shock.

She took a deep breath again, and faced the protester. "You- I'm sorry." She said again. "For what I did before. It wasn't right. I- I had no right. I attacked you, and- and it was wrong."

He blinked several times, and she could hear the crowd murmuring behind her, clearly unsure what to think.

She cleared her throat. "That's- that's why I'm here. I'm sorry. I'm not just the Avatar to the benders. I'm your Avatar too, and I shouldn't- mean, you shouldn't be-"

"This is a trick," The protester said, as if trying to reassure himself. "You want to bring the police down on me, so you're tricking me!"

"No!" Korra took a step closer, half reaching out, and he stepped back immediately, the fear flashing in his eyes again. Her hands dropped to her sides. "I just…I really am sorry."

For a few moments he just stared at her. Then his gaze hardened. "The Avatar is sorry," He said.

"Yeah, I am," Korra began, but he cut her off.

"Well, that's just _dandy_, but does it bring back my megaphone? Or get rid of the scrapes on my elbows? Does it get any of us better jobs?" He swept his arm out again, toward the quieter crowd, who seemed to stand taller at his words.

"No, but, I want to help-"

"We are tired of words!" The protester cupped his hand around his mouth again. "The councilors and the Avatar are _sorry_! But they'll never take any action to truly help us!"

"I want to help you!" Korra insisted. "I'm going to do everything I can-"

The protester scowled. "We'll believe that when we see it, _Avatar_."

She'd never heard her title used as an insult before. She jerked back as if she'd been struck, and the crowd started to chant:

"_No more lies! No more lies!"_

They turned to her, seeming to almost advance on her, but Korra held her ground. "I'll help you!" She yelled over the din. "I promise, I'll help you!" Her eyes found the protester's for a moment. "And I'm sorry!" She shouted again.

He seemed to stumble for a moment in his chant, but then be brought back his voice full force.

She stepped back a few paces, and then turned, and started to walk away. When she was a few feet away, she turned back. Her first day here, she'd seen this man, she'd seen people rallying around him. She'd heard much the same things, and tried to make him listen to her.

Instead, she'd made him afraid of her.

The others around him were scared too. Maybe they didn't have homes, like those children she'd met. Maybe they had been hurt by benders in the past.

She'd heard so much about what a paradise Republic City was. Before she'd come here, she'd never even known that homeless children existed. She'd never known that there were people struggling with work. People that hated her. People who were being hurt because they were different. People like her mother.

She would protect them. She would be the best Avatar the world had ever known. People would say her name like they did Avatar Aang's- reverently, proudly.

_I'm the Avatar, _She thought, staring determinedly at the group. _I'll help them. I'll make things right. I have to._

(~-~-~-~-~)

That night, warm in her bed, she had the first in a long series of horrible nightmares.


End file.
